There was a lot of surprise Monday night when the NFL released the 2021 Pro Bowl rosters and Indianapolis Colts defensive end DeForest Buckner was nowhere to be found on the AFC side.
Buckner, who has been an incredible force for the Colts all season long, didn’t make the cut for the Pro Bowl and Twitter had some words for the league.
While the Colts did have three players make the Pro Bowl, the omission of Buckner is truly ridiculous. So ridiculous that Buckner made Touchdown Wire’s list of the “most egregious Pro Bowl snubs” list.
Chris Jones, Cameron Heyward, and Calais Campbell? All great players, though if you want Campbell in here, maybe make him an end and take Frank Clark off the AFC list. But there is absolutely no defense for snubbing Buckner, who has been a superhero in his first season with the Colts. Only Heyward and Aaron Donald have more total pressures among interior defensive linemen than Buckner’s 47, he’s got 28 stops this season, and when you face the Colts’ defense, Buckner is the first guy you have to worry about.
Among all interior defenders, Buckner ranks second in sacks (7.5) and quarterback hits (24) while missing a game due to COVID-19. He also just recorded three sacks against the Texans while dealing with a bum ankle.
It is no surprise to Colts fans that this is an egregious snub. That’s also what happens when a 10-4 team vying for a playoff spot has only one primetime game—a game in which they dominated. But that’s an issue for another time.
Buckner’s presence on the interior has changed the Colts defense in all facets of the game. He frees up the rush lanes for other defenders. His ability to collapse the top of the pocket prevents quarterbacks from climbing when they feel edge pressure. And the overall pressure rate of the unit helps the secondary in coverage.
Every team likely has a player that they feel was slighted from the Pro Bowl. It’s natural. But leaving off one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league is just another example that the Pro Bowl is losing credibility each year.
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