Tonight, the NFL will be picking the rosters for the annual Pro Bowl game set to take place on January 26th in Orlando, Florida. Many fans have stopped paying attention to the actual game because of players not tackling hard or taking it too seriously, but Pro Bowl selections themselves are pretty important. Elections to team Hall of Fames or the Pro Football Hall of Fame usually depend on how many Pro Bowls players were selected to, as well as how many All-Pro selections the players had in their career.
With that in mind, I am predicting at least six Eagles will see their names on the Pro Bowl roster when it is said and done. Those six players will be:
Lane Johnson
Johnson has once again been the best right tackle in football so far this season. So much so, that the Eagles decided to make him the highest-paid offensive lineman in football with his new contract extension. If selected, this will be Johnson's third-consecutive Pro Bowl nomination. If the Eagles don't make the playoffs or get knocked out early, I would not expect Johnson to play in the game due to his ankle injury he suffered in the Monday night game against the Giants.
Brandon Brooks
Johnson's left-hand man has also played like the best right guard in football. Once again the Eagles agreed with that type of statement, because they made him the highest-paid guard in football with his new contract extension. Brooks has overcome a torn achilles injury that cost him his entire offseason, as well as anxiety flareups and has still performed at a high level. He is an absolute lock to make his third-straight Pro Bowl.
Jason Kelce
After being shockingly denied from the two previous Pro Bowls, I would expect Jason Kelce to get back to the Pro Bowl for the third time in his career (2014, 2016). There is no legitimate reason why Kelce should not be selected, because he is the best center in the NFC, and probably the best in the NFL too. Even at 32 years old, Kelce still is the fastest-moving center in the league, which helps him claim the title of being best center in football on screen plays.
Zach Ertz
As the only offensive weapon that stayed healthy for Carson Wentz all season, Ertz needs to get rewarded by being selected to his third-straight Pro Bowl. The only tight end in the NFC who might be better than Ertz is George Kittle, so by that setting Ertz will undoubtedly be selected to this honor.
Brandon Graham
Graham is having one of the best seasons of his 10 year career. So far this season he has 7.5 sack, which is just shy of his career-high of 9.5 that he set in 2017. It'll be tough for him to get selected, but I think there is a solid chance of him being selected (at the very least as an alternate). This would be his first-career Pro Bowl selection.
Fletcher Cox
He hasn't been as dominate as he has been in years past, but still just his name induces enough fear in opposing offenses that they end up double-teaming Cox or instruct the quarterback to roll out of the pocket to avoid his pressure. Reputation usually helps when it comes to being selected for this All-Star Game, and Cox has certainly built himself a respectable reputation. If selected, this would be his fifth-straight Pro Bowl nomination. He would become just the sixth Eagles defender (and second defensive lineman) to be named to five Pro Bowls, joining: Troy Vincent, Eric Allen, Maxie Baughan, Brian Dawkins, and Chuck Bednarik.
Alternate Prediction: Carson Wentz
There are a few quarterbacks in the NFC that have had better seasons than Wentz, but with Pro Bowl selections, a lot of these players (especially quarterbacks) decide to opt-out of playing in the Pro Bowl due to injury or want to recover from the gruesome season they just played. Those starters and then replaced with alternates, which is where I think Wentz will get his chance to be picked. I feel the top three quarterbacks selected for the NFC will be Russell Wilson, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. Wentz will be in the 4th-6th tier that will allow him to potentially be announced as an alternate.
We will officially find out the selections this evening. Obviously the ultimate hope would be that none of these guys play in that game because they are playing in the Super Bowl the following week, but the way this team has played this year it is likely that some of these guys will end up in Orlando at the end of January.
