2021 Pro Bowl snubs: Ryan Tannehill, Calvin Ridley among most notable absences from all-star rosters

A look at some of the most notable omissions

There won't be a real Pro Bowl game played in 2021, but the NFL at least paid respects to those voted into the honorary all-star contest on Monday, securing predictable accolades for superstars like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and DeAndre Hopkins. Pro Bowl rosters are never perfect, though, and 2021's lineup is no exception.

With that in mind, here's a look at some of this year's biggest snubs:

There was no stopping Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen from cracking the AFC roster, but you can easily argue Tannehill deserves the nod over Deshaun Watson. The latter deserves praise for posting career numbers in dire circumstances, but the Titans QB would've gotten MVP buzz if not for this year's overabundance of passing dominance.

Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb were locks in the AFC, but Josh Jacobs? The man is averaging 3.7 yards per carry, trails Robinson by more than 100 rushing yards and has also turned the ball over twice as much. Jacksonville is no good, but Robinson has looked like a shoo-in for a No. 1 role for years to come.

This might be the most egregious on the list. Ridley doesn't have Julio Jones' name recognition, but he sure as heck has the numbers to justify a spot this year. Third in the NFC in receiving yards and tied for second in 20+ yard receptions, he's been a consistent big-play threat on an otherwise dismal team.

Evan Engram, a 2021 Pro Bowler, has one touchdown catch. Tonyan has 10. That's all you need to know.

We know not everyone keeps up on offensive line play, but it's hard to miss what the Browns are doing up front. Cleveland boasts one of the game's most dangerous rushing attacks and has also kept an improved Baker Mayfield upright. Teller, one of the highest-graded interior blockers of the season, has been integral to the Browns' race to playoff contention.

This one's kind of a surprise, considering Buckner came from a vaunted 49ers defensive line with a lot of name recognition. Better yet, Buckner has been elite on his own in Indy. His AFC competition is fierce, but there's no question the Colts defense is an entirely different unit without his penetrating presence (7.5 sacks, 24 QB hits, two forced fumbles).

Most of the AFC corners deserve their Pro Bowl nods, but it's still pretty inexplicable that a guy can rank second in the NFL in interceptions (8), partake in 10 takeaways for a well-regarded defense and rank among the top 10 in pass deflections (13) and still miss out on all-star honors. Is Jackson a weekly shutdown No. 1? No. But his numbers are more than Pro Bowl-caliber.

Sean McDermott's defense hasn't been the strength of Buffalo's 2020 run, but Poyer has remained an underrated presence at the back end of their secondary. All across the board, he's a sound defender, racking up 117 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions for the AFC East champions.

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