The rosters for the 2017 Pro Bowl were announced Tuesday night, and you know what that means: It's time to talk about snubs. Only 44 players from each conference were chosen, which means that plenty of deserving players were left off. Because there are normally 53 players on an active NFL roster, we've decided to highlight nine snubs in each conference that deserve recognition.
Note: No, we're not saying any of the guys on this list should have made it over any specific guys that actually did make the team. We're just saying these guys had really good seasons. And yes, we obviously understand that there are more than nine additional players in each conference that deserve recognition. These are just the ones we chose. We don't hate your favorite team, and we recognize that the guy you're complaining about in the comments section has played very well this season, too.
AFC
Marcus Mariota, QB, Titans
If not for stumbles in Weeks 3 and 4, Mariota might have made the team. In his other 12 games, Mariota completed 64.5 percent of his passes at 7.9 yards per attempt, with 25 touchdowns against only six interceptions. He also led the Titans to an 8-4 record. He ranks ninth across the board on Football Outsiders' YAR, DYAR and DVOA, at least one spot ahead of Pro Bowler Ben Roethlisberger in all three.
LeGarrette Blount, RB, Patriots
Blount leads the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns and has scored in all but three games. He has totaled 1,060 yards on his 235 carries while working on arguably the best value contract in the NFL (non-rookie scale edition). He has been a reliable producer for one of the league's best offenses.
Jack Conklin, T, Titans
Conklin's linemate, Taylor Lewan, got a deserving first Pro Bowl berth, but Conklin might have deserved it more. He has been as good as any rookie in all of football, and that includes accepted stars like Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. Conklin has been a monster in the Titans' exotic smashmouth running game, and he has helped keep Mariota clean all year as well.
Kevin Zeitler, G, Bengals
It was hardly noticed because the rest of the offensive line collapsed around him, but Zeitler was magnificent over the first 14 weeks of the season. The Bengals ran for 4.8 yards per carry on plays through the hole directly to his right, per Pro Football Focus, an excellent figure. And along with the always solid Andrew Whitworth, Zeitler was the only other Bengals lineman to hold his own in pass protection.
Matt Paradis, C, Broncos
The improvement Paradis showed in his second season was spectacular. He was manhandled at times early last season, especially in the running game. This year, he was probably a close second to Travis Frederick in that department. He also cleaned up a lot of the issues he had in pass protection, helping Trevor Siemian to a much better than expected debut season as a starter.
Since his debut, Bosa has been one of the best pass-rushers in football. In just 10 games Bosa has been credited by Pro Football Focus with 49 pressures, a rate just south of Von Miller's AFC-leading 73 in 14 games. And it's not like Bosa has been a one-dimensional player, either. He's very good against the run as well.
Leonard Williams, DE, Jets
The Jets let Damon Harrison walk out the door this offseason because they knew they had Williams to take his place alongside Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson on the defensive line. Sheldon and Mo didn't exactly play up to their usual standard this year, but Williams held up his end of the bargain. Per PFF, he leads all 3-4 defensive ends in pressures and is third in run stops. He's been everything you want from a No. 6 overall pick.
Telvin Smith, LB, Jaguars
Smith has been one of the unsung heroes of a quietly improved Jaguars defense. Smith excels both coming up against the run and when asked to cover tight ends or running backs in space. If the offense wasn't so bad that it dropped the team's record to 2-12, he might have gotten more recognition.
A.J. Bouye, CB, Texans
Bouye started the season in a rotational role, but once he started playing full-time, he was flat-out awesome. Quarterbacks have a dreadful 63.0 passer rating on throws in his direction, per PFF, and he's one of only 15 corners with at least 300 coverage snaps that allowed one passing touchdown or fewer through Week 15.
NFC
Brandin Cooks, WR, Saints
Cooks ranks sixth in the NFL in receiving yards and is one of only three players in the top 20 that is also averaging over 15 yards per reception. He has made some monster plays on throws deep downfield, hauling in 10 catches and four touchdowns on throws over 20 yards in the air. His teammate, rookie Michael Thomas, also has a really good case.
Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers
Nelson's first season back from ACL surgery was terrific. Through 14 weeks he has a line of 82-1,087-12 and though he appears to have lost a quarter-step, it hasn't affected his play that much. (See the 60-yard, game-clinching bomb he caught Sunday against the Bears.) Those 12 receiving touchdowns, by the way, are most in the NFL. He continues to move all over the formation and just make plays.
Jordan Howard, RB, Bears
Howard didn't become the starter until Week 4, and since then only Zeke Elliott and Le'Veon Bell have more rushing yards. Among the 29 players with at least 100 carries in that time, Howard's 4.98 yards per carry average ranks fourth. He has at least 100 total yards in eight of his 11 starts, and had 99 in another. On a team that's struggled to throw the ball with a rotating cast of quarterbacks all season, his performance has been wildly impressive.
Olivier Vernon, DE, Giants
I truly don't understand how Vernon didn't make the Pro Bowl. After recording only one sack through the first seven weeks, he now has 8.5 after 14 games. And it's not like he wasn't still getting after the quarterback early; he was among the league leaders in pressures. Now, he has an NFL-high 77 sacks plus hits plus hurries and has been a monster in the run game for one of the league's best defenses, too. He should have made it.
Calais Campbell, DE, Cardinals
The Arizona offense failed to live up to expectations, but the defense might have been even better than it had any right to be, considering the injuries it had to endure. Campbell is a huge reason why. After finally getting the recognition he deserved over the last two years, it's strange to see him miss out on the game again, but that's what a down season will do to a great player whose contributions are more noticeable when people are talking about his team all the time. He's once again doing excellent work against both the run and the pass.
The Cowboys got their expected huge share of offensive Pro Bowlers, but Lee might actually have been the best player at his position (4-3 outside linebacker) this year. He has been absolutely everywhere, especially over the last few weeks as the Dallas defense has improved. He's always been a star player when healthy (actually staying healthy has been the issue with him), and this year has been no different. His 132 combined tackles lead the NFL, and it's not one of those situations where he just racks them up for free -- he leads 4-3 OLBs in stops and the Cowboys face fewer plays than almost any other defense. He's just in on practically every play.
Terence Newman, CB, Vikings
What Newman did this season, at his age, is remarkable. A 38-year old being among the best corners in football makes no biological sense. Quarterbacks have a disgustingly-low 60.7 passer rating on throws in his direction, per PFF, and he leads the entire league in yards allowed per snap in coverage. His teammate, Xavier Rhodes, got a deserving Pro Bowl nod, but Newman could definitely be there right alongside him.
Darius Slay, CB, Lions
It's a bit strange that the Lions -- in first place in the NFC North -- don't have a representative on the Pro Bowl roster. Slay is as good a candidate as any. Quarterbacks rarely throw in his direction -- mostly because when they do, the ball tends to drop to the ground. He got his hands on 10 of the 59 passes thrown his way this season, per PFF (two picks and eight passes defensed). Among 77 cornerbacks with at least 500 snaps, that 16.9 percent rate ranked sixth.
Tony Jefferson, SS, Cardinals
Jefferson wondered on Twitter why only one strong safety made the roster from each conference, and he's got a point. Within Arizona's defense he has more responsibility than a traditional "strong safety" anyway, and he took more on his plate this year with injuries to Tyrann Mathieu, among others. He was deserving of a first Pro Bowl berth.
