Tag: all pro

Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. earns yet another All-Pro honor

Derek Stingley Jr. has earned another accolade for his efforts in coverage with the Houston Texans in 2024.

All-Pro Sting has been a saying for weeks now.

Consensus All-Pro could be a new title added to Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.’s vocabulary by this time next week.

The third-year defensive back was named a first-team All-Pro by The Sporting News Thursday morning, adding to his accolades from a breakout 2024 season.

After starting a career-high 17 games, the former No.3 overall pick posted career numbers in nearly every category, including total tackles (54), passes defensed (18) and tackles for loss (four). Stingley also posted his second consecutive season with five interceptions.

Stingley’s five interceptions were tied for the team-high with rookie safety Calen Bullock and ranked fourth-most in the NFL this season. His 18 pass breakups ranked second among defenders, trailing only Cleveland’s Denzel Ward.

According to NextGenStats, Stingley allowed the lowest passer rating (56.9) and lowest completion percentage (46.7%) among cornerbacks who played at least 400 coverage snaps this season.

Stingley’s shining moment came in Week 15 while covering All-Pro Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill. In the victory, he recorded five tackles, including two for loss, two interceptions and two passes defensed, becoming the first cornerback in NFL history to record two interceptions and two tackles for loss in a game.

He would go on to be named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, marking the second of his career.

This marks Stingley’s second All-Pro honor of the year after also being named to the Associated Press All-Pro First Team, making him the first cornerback in franchise history to earn Associated Press and The Sporting News All-Pro First Team honors in the same year.

Stingley was also named to the NFLPA’s All-Pro roster, which is voted on by only active players.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones responds to his regular season honors: ‘We care about Super Bowls here’

Kansas City #Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones responds to his All-Pro honors: ‘We care about Super Bowls here’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones received numerous honors this season, as he was recently named to both the All-Pro and Pro Bowl teams. He spoke with reporters on Wednesday about the latest accolades in his career.

“Very appreciative for my peers and respectable members to vote me in that class. I’m super appreciative of it. I think it goes to show the group of guys around me to be flexible, do what I do, and play at my best ability,” said Jones. “Sometimes a number doesn’t allocate the value of an individual and how much they can bring to the table. So I’m glad we was able to look past that and be voted as a Pro Bowl(er), I guess.”

Jones earned his third consecutive first-team All-Pro selection and sixth straight Pro Bowl invitation; however, the latter doesn’t feel like an honor to the highly respected defensive tackle.

“I don’t really care about Pro Bowls, man. When you think about how I had 15.5 sacks in my third year, I didn’t even make the Pro Bowl. So that’s when I stopped really caring about making a Pro Bowl. All-Pro is important to me because it’s like the best at your position, and that’s a respect from your peers and the league executives.” said Jones. “But Pro Bowl, I never really cared about it. I felt like it was a popularity contest. But we care about Super Bowls here. They can keep all the bowls. We care about Super Bowls, and that’s what we play for; that’s what we care about. That’s the most important thing.”

Jones finished the 2024 regular season with five sacks and 37 tackles in 15 games. He notably faced double teams throughout the season, which allowed teammates to make plays on opposing quarterbacks.

Mickey Loomis addresses the departure and ascension of Zack Baun

Zack Baun’s All-Pro year made the Saints look silly. Mickey Loomis says they tried to keep him, but couldn’t give him the opportunities to play he wanted

Zack Baun has been an interesting player ever since the New Orleans Saints drafted him in 2020. The initial conversation surrounding Baun was his fit in the defense. He was an edge rusher in college, putting his hand in the dirt and rushing against offensive linemen, who was being pushed into being an off-ball linebacker and asked to cover receivers out in space.

Baun’s immediate ascension into an All-Pro, Pro Bowl linebacker with the Philadelphia Eagles showed the Saints didn’t have the wrong idea. They just had the wrong people trying to execute that plan.

Mickey Loomis told reporters this week the Saints tried to keep Baun in New Orleans but couldn’t give him what he was looking for: “We tried to sign Zack Baun but he was looking for opportunity to get more playing time. Under the last system that wasn’t going to be as likely.”

Baun stepped into a bigger role under a different coaching staff, and proved he could be a great player. He even looks more comfortable dropping into coverage with Philadelphia than he did with New Orleans.

The conversation of departing players finding success elsewhere drifted over to Trey Hendrickson as well. Loomis said, “I’m excited that we drafted (Baun and Hendrickson) and they’ve had success, they were identified as talented players. But obviously it’s not great when they go and have success some place else. That hasn’t happened a lot in our tenure here.”

Kaden Ellis is another example, and he’s similar to Hendrickson. These were players who produced for you, but you chose not to keep. Those decisions look bad after a few years of those players ascending and the Saints defense declining. At a time when the Saints are too old and slow on defense with holes at defensive end and linebacker, it’s disappointing to see your old backups starting and winning All-Pro recognition somewhere else.

“When you draft good players, you want to keep them, absolutely,” Loomis added. Maybe he and his next coaching staff will do a better job retaining talent after they’ve developed it.

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Demario Davis sees his All-Pro streak snapped at age 35

Demario Davis had made the All-Pro team every year since turning 30. But that streak was broken after five stellar seasons:

Demario Davis has been an ageless wonder for the New Orleans Saints, but nothing lasts forever.

For the first time since 2018, Demario Davis has failed to be named a first- or second-team All-Pro. Outside of J.T. Gray, who made second-team All-Pro, Davis and rookie punter Matthew Hayball were the only Saints to get any All-Pro votes. Two voters put Davis on their first team.

Davis came to the New Orleans Saints from the New York Jets at 29 years old, with no Pro Bowl or All-Pro teams under his belt. When the calendar hit on his 30th birthday, Davis shifted gears into a different mode.

His birthday is in January, and Davis had his season-high in tackles and lone interception of the 2018 season in the playoffs after turning 30 years old.

The following season Davis made first-team All-Pro. It took a little bit longer for the Pro Bowls to start rolling in. From that 2019 season until this year, Davis made five consecutive All-Pro teams. He was a second-team member from 2020-2023.

Davis may have had 136 tackles, a career-high, but he didn’t seem like himself. If you reflect back to last offseason, one of the biggest reasons Davis was being called one of the best linebackers in the NFL was his ability to get behind the line of scrimmage.

Davis recorded a career-high 6.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons. That number dropped to two sacks. Take out his three-game rookie season, Davis’ two quarterback hits are the lowest of his career. Davis only racked up five tackles for loss. He hasn’t dropped under 10 any other season in New Orleans.

Davis blitzed 38 times this year, compared to 39 times in 2023 and 26 times in 2022. The production simply has been different and likely contributed to the snapping of his five-year All-Pro streak.

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Texans CB Derek Stingley Jr. named AP first-team All-Pro

Derek Stingley Jr. is now only known as ‘All-Pro Sting’ after a breakout 2024 season.

Derek Stingley’s breakout 2024 season is finally getting its proper recognition.

The third-year Houston Texans cornerback was named has been named an Associated Press First Team All-Pro, the AP announced Friday.

Stingley, 23, is the first Texans player to earn first-team All-Pro honors wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in 2019. He’s the first defensive player to earn the accolade since three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt in 2018.

Stingley, the former No. 3 overall pick in 2022, proved to be one of the league’s best defenders after setting records in 2024. He started all 17 games in coverage and posted career-high numbers in tackles (54), passes defensed (18) and tackles for loss (four).

Stingley also notched five interceptions, which tied his career-high from 2023. His five turnovers were tied for the team-high with rookie safety Calen Bullock and ranked as the fourth-most in the NFL this season, while his 18 pass breakups stood as the second-most in the League.

According to NextGenStats, Stingley allowed the lowest passer rating (56.9) and lowest completion percentage (46.7%) among cornerbacks who played at least 400 coverage snaps this season.

But his breakout game in Week 15 likely sealed the accolade. Against the Miami Dolphins in man coverage against Tyreek Hill, Stingley recorded five tackles, including two for loss, two interceptions and two passes defensed, becoming the first cornerback in NFL history to record two interceptions and two tackles for loss in a game.

For his efforts he was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, marking the second of his career.

Stingley becomes the first cornerback in franchise history to earn AP All-Pro First Team honors.

Stingley, along with wide receiver Nico Collins, offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil and running back Joe Mixon were all named to the Pro Bowl roster. The standout defensive back also made the NFLPA All-Pro team following the 2024 season.

The Texans take on the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be nationally televised on CBS and Parmount+.

One Vikings player is named to the 2024 NFLPA All-Pro Team

One Minnesota Viking made the NFLPA’s third-annual All-Pro team.

The NFL Players Association released its third-annual All-Pro team on Wednesday. One Minnesota Vikings player was represented on the team.

Justin Jefferson was one of two wide receivers selected to the team, joining Cincinnati Bengals wideout Ja’Marr Chase. This is the second time in three years that Jefferson has made the team.

It was another spectacular season for Jefferson. He caught 103 passes for 1,533 yards and ten touchdowns. This marked the third time in his career that he reached 100 receptions and 1,500 yards, becoming just the fifth player in NFL history to do so.

This is the only team that NFL players exclusively vote on. JC Tretter, who now serves as the NFLPA’s chief strategy officer, laid out the voting process when the 2022 team was announced:

  • Only active NFL players can vote and they get only one vote.
  • If a player missed five or more games as of Week 15, then they are ineligible. This is to ensure that we are choosing the best players who had the most impact this season. Being available counts.
  • Players cannot vote for themselves or for their own teammates
  • Players vote for the position group they play in and line up against.
    • For example, centers can vote for:
      • The best Center in the league
      • The best nose tackle in the league
      • The best Interior defensive lineman in the league
      • The best off-ball linebacker in the league

The process makes sense, as players can only devote their attention to so many players and positions during the grind of an NFL season. It may not take an eight-year veteran to realize that Jefferson has once again been one of the league’s best receivers. But it’s fun to know that he has the respect of his peers.

Steelers LB T.J. Watt praises Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Week 17 performance

All-Pro #Steelers LB T.J. Watt praised #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes after Pittsburgh’s Week 17 matchup against Kansas City. | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs won their 15th game of the season last Wednesday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, holding off a talented defensive unit led by star pass rusher T.J. Watt. The former Defensive Player of the Year shared his thoughts on playing against Patrick Mahomes during his Week 17 postgame press conference.

“Yeah, it’s no secret that he’s a (great) player. He has great weapons. They have a good scheme,” said Watt. “You can’t afford to spot them points and allow them to scramble around in the pocket and have time, and we didn’t have any success on any of the things I just said.”

Watt and the Pittsburgh defense could not pressure Mahomes enough for a sack, as the Chiefs’ offensive line stood firm throughout the contest. The recent switch of Joe Thuney to left tackle and Mike Caliendo to guard has been a significant factor over the three-game stretch.

Mahomes finished the game completing 29 of 38 passes for 320 yards with three touchdowns and a 127.1 passer rating. The performance against Pittsburgh’s defense marked his 48th regular season 300-yard passing game and his 56th career game with a 100.0+ passer rating.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin projected as first-team All-Pro selection

Terry McLaurin finally receiving the recognition he deserves.

What a difference a quarterback can make. Six years into his NFL career, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin finally has his quarterback.

Through 13 games, Washington is 8-5 with the rookie quarterback, and McLaurin is off to the best start in his already outstanding career. McLaurin has 61 receptions for 896 yards and nine touchdowns this season — with four games remaining.

McLaurin established a new career-high with nine touchdowns in last week’s win over Tennessee. His previous career high was set back his rookie season of 2019. McLaurin has three games this season with at least two touchdowns.

Everyone around the NFL has taken notice. McLaurin is in the top five in receiving yards despite not having a legitimate threat opposite him. McLaurin has made the Pro Bowl once in his career. Could he earn a second Pro Bowl trip?

Or could McLaurin earn his first All-Pro selection?

Tyler Brooke of The 33rd Team recently named his All-Pro predictions for the 2024 season as we inch closer to the playoffs. Brooke had McLaurin as one of the three receivers, joining Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson.

That’s elite company.

Two of the names at wide receiver are already established superstars, while Terry McLaurin gets the first All-Pro recognition of his career.

McLaurin is having the best year of his career, thanks to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. With 61 catches for 896 yards and nine touchdowns, he’s already set a career-high mark for touchdowns. He’s also pacing for his fifth straight season with 1,000 receiving yards.

There are so many reasons why McLaurin should be considered for this honor. He’s his team’s only true receiving threat, so he often faces double teams. Secondly, he will go over 1,000 yards again. Finally, he’s getting into the end zone now, which will certainly help his case.

All McLaurin ever needed was consistency at quarterback.

Raiders TE Brock Bowers Yards After Catch numbers already on pace for elite company

Rookie tight end Brock Bowers leads all tight ends in the NFL in Yards After Catch (YAC) and is on pace for All Pro level numbers.

It’s becoming clear just what makes Brock Bowers so special as a player. And it starts with his ability to get yards after the catch.

The rookie tight end’s ability to get every extra yard imaginable and a few yards you didn’t think were possible almost defies logic and reason.

Raiders offensive coordinator set about trying to explain just how Bowers does it.

“Some guys like…he’s a natural football player,” Luke Getsy said of Bowers’ YAC abilities. “What I mean by that is he understands spacing, he understands his awareness of what’s all going on around him. I think all that’s real. So, when he catches the ball and he knows he has space, there’s no wasted movement. There’s no figuring out, there’s no bubble around him. It’s catch, drop step, get vertical, and go. So, you’re seeing him catch check downs and you’re seeing him turn them into explosives. And so all that awareness of space and the people around you is something special that not everybody has. But he has it and that on top of understanding where he’s supposed to be conceptually and the toughness prt of it. That part is probably the most important.”

The rookie 13th overall pick leads all NFL tight ends over the first six weeks of the season with 206 yards after catch. That’s tenth in the league at any position. With 384 yards receiving, that means well over half his yards have come after the catch.

His numbers put him on pace for 584 yards after the catch on the season. The list of tight ends to have better numbers than that over the past five years is short.

2022 *Travis Kelce — 648
2019 *George Kittle — 602
2023 **David Njoku — 599
2020 *Travis Kelce — 587

*All Pro season
** Pro Bowl season

This is nothing new for Bowers. Twice in his three years at Georgia he led all FCS tight ends in Yards After Catch. But it’s one thing to do it on the collegiate level, it’s another to treat NFL defenders the same way.

Chiefs All-Pro defensive lineman comments on three-peat talks: ‘It’s just so far-fetched’

Kansas City #Chiefs DT Chris Jones comments on three-peat talks: ‘It’s just so far-fetched’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones appeared as a guest on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday to reveal whether or not the team thinks about their chances at a three-peat.

“Not at all. It’s just so far-fetched. And you got to get through the division, not only the AFC West, you got to get through the AFC so much adversity can come about.” said Jones. “So I think more so for us; it’s about the smaller goals of winning the AFC West, which is the first thing we can do. We win the AFC West, we can put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs. “

Jones was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his fantastic performance against the Los Angeles Chargers last Sunday. His third-career Player of the Week Award, surpassing Neil Smith and Art Still for the most-ever by a Chiefs defensive lineman.

“We can think about the AFC, where we are in the AFC, and then we can think about winning an AFC Championship,” said Jones. “They win that. Then you can think about the three-peat, but it’s so far-fetched, so far away, man. So you gotta, I think you can focus on the smaller goals. If you’re able to hit those, you’ll be where you want to be.”

The three-time Super Bowl champion has always kept the right mindset and understands the importance of building the team throughout the season.