Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
PFF thinks highly of the 2022 Vikings
With the regular season over, awards and recognition are coming out for the best performers. On Wednesday, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was named an All-Pro by the NFL Players Association in their first-ever rendition of the All-Pro team.
While we wait for the Associated Press All-Pro team to be announced, we saw PFF drop their own All-Pro team with a first and second team that includes three Vikings.
Jeremy Reaves continues to earn recognition for his outstanding work on special teams.
When Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves earned his first Pro Bowl nomination last month, it was one of the more heartwarming stories of the season. Head coach Ron Rivera informed Reaves of the honor, and punter Tress Way was nearby to show love to his teammate and friend.
On Wednesday, Reaves added another honor to his resume as he was selected to the first-ever player-voted NFLPA All-Pro team. Reaves made the All-Pro team as a “core teamer” for his outstanding work on special teams.
Reaves entered the NFL in 2018 as an undrafted free agent from South Alabama. Reaves signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after the 2018 NFL draft and was released among final cuts later that summer. Reaves signed with Washington’s practice squad in September of that year and was promoted to the active roster in December.
Over the next few seasons, Reaves would go back and forth between Washington’s active roster and practice squad. It wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that Reaves made Washington’s initial 53-man roster.
Reaves led the NFL in special teams tackles and was a key figure on Washington’s terrific coverage units. In addition to his work on special teams, Reaves started Washington’s final three games at safety when Kam Curl was sidelined. And, as usual, he was great.
Reaves reacted to the news on Twitter:
You can’t tell me God ain’t real 🙏🏾 https://t.co/95tmpOIA1M
— Jeremy Reaves (@JR1ERA) January 11, 2023
Reaves is a restricted free agent this offseason, and the next step in his journey is to earn a long-term contract from the Commanders.
The NFLPA’s first-ever All-Pro uses a unique set of rules for voting that you can read more about here.
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The 49ers were well-represented in the inaugural Players’ All-Pro team.
The NFL for the first time didn’t just leave All-Pro teams to media outlets. In 2022 they debuted the Players’ All-Pro teams, which is a set of two All-Pro squads voted on by players.
Typically the All-Pro voting is left to a panel of media members from the Associated Press. Pro Football Focus and other football analysis sites also do their own All-Pro teams.
A players’ version comes with the added bonus for players of getting recognition from their peers. 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who was a First-Team All-Pro, tweeted that landing in that group was one of the most meaningful honors of his career.
San Francisco was well-represented on the list, with four players making it on the first team. That’s tied for the most of any team with Kansas City – the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Here’s who landed on the Players’ All-Pro First-Team from the 49ers:
The NFLPA has released their player-voted First-Team All-Pro Team and four #Chiefs players were selected for it.
For the first time ever, NFL players have voted for their own All-Pro team. The NFLPA’s goal here was simple — give the players, who compete against each other every week, the voice to decide which players are the best of the best.
This All-Pro team is selected by a unique set of rules. First, only active NFL are allowed to vote and they only get a single vote. Second, if a player missed five or more games as of Week 15, they’re considered ineligible for voting. Third, players are not allowed to vote for themselves or their teammates. Fourth, players can only vote for the positions they play in and line up against. Fifth, core teamers were nominated by player leaders from each team.
A total of four Kansas City Chiefs players were selected by their football-playing peers for the inaugural First-Team All-Pro Team. It’s tied for the most selections by a single team with the San Francisco 49ers. You can check the Chiefs’ players that were selected down below along with my reaction:
Five #Chiefs players made PFF’s list of First-Team All-Pro players for the 2022 NFL season.
The folks over at Pro Football Focus have announced their 2022 NFL All-Pro Team as the regular season has come to an end. A total of six Kansas City Chiefs players have earned recognition from PFF, five as First-Team All-Pro selections and one as a Second-Team All-Pro selection.
Joe Thuney was the only player to come in as a Second-Team All-Pro. Had he not missed time and dealt with an injury this season, it’s possible that he lands the First-Team selection.
Here’s a look at the Chiefs that made First-Team All-Pro, along with words from PFF’s Sam Monson and my own quips:
Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil is appreciative of his Pro Bowl selection but hopes to earn a first-team All-Pro nomination.
Houston Texans left tackle Laremy Tunsil earned his third Pro Bowl selection of his career Wednesday.
The former Miami Dolphins 2016 first-round pick will be one of the “starters” for the AFC team in the 2023 Pro Bowl games.
“Means a lot, means a lot,” Tunsil said via video from KRPC-TV’s Aaron Wilson. “Next one is the All-Pro. Get the All-Pro, that will mean a lot to me.”
Tunsil would be the second Texans offensive lineman in club history to earn a first-team All-Pro honor. In 2012, tackle Duane Brown became the first.
The 6-5, 313-pounder credits the offensive scheme run by offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton as being one of the reasons why he was able to earn his third Pro Bowl.
Said Tunsil: “Me personally, I feel like I elevated my game, especially in the run game. And the system helped me out, too. Running the ball more, getting out there, and showing my ability more, and it showed my run-blocking and pass-blocking.”
Of course, there was another element that Tunsil playfully attributed to his Pro Bowl selection.
“Go draft a guy like Dameon Pierce,” Tunsil said.
Pierce’s 939 rushing yards were the most among rookie running backs by the time of his placement on injured reserve after Week 14. The fourth-rounder from Florida also notched the 12th-most single-season rushing yards in Texans history. It may not have been possible without Tunsil playing at a high level on the edge.
It’s not who you think.
The Washington Commanders have multiple players worthy of a Pro Bowl nod this season. Not only do the Commanders have players worthy of a Pro Bowl nomination, defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne should be seriously mentioned as All-Pro candidates.
Pro Football Focus named its third-quarter All-Pro team this week, and there was no mention of Allen, Payne, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, or punter Tress Way.
There were four interior defensive linemen ahead of Payne and Allen: Dexter Lawrence, Aaron Donald, Quinnen Williams and Chris Jones. All four are great players. Donald is already one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time.
But how did Allen and Payne fail to make the list? McLaurin and Way are understandable. There are so many wide receivers putting up bigger numbers. That’s not because of McLaurin’s inability but more of a function of Washington’s offense. Allen and Payne have combined for 16 sacks and are tied for second in the NFL with 15 tackles for loss apiece.
Good thing PFF isn’t the real thing, right?
There was some good news for the Commanders. Someone did make PFF’s All-Pro team, and it’s not who you think.
Washington safety Jeremy Reaves made the cut as PFF’s special-teams pick.
Reaves has more special teams snaps than any other player in the NFL and also has the best PFF grade. That’s difficult to achieve. He has 15 special teams tackles.
Good for Reaves. It’s nice to see him receive some national recognition. While Darrick Forrest and Kam Curl have the safety spots locked down for the foreseeable future, the always-reliable Reaves never fails to impress when called into duty on defense. Reaves has earned himself a comfortable spot on Washington’s roster for his role on special teams.
As for Payne and Allen, don’t be surprised if one of the two earns All-Pro honors from the NFL after the season.
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Can a healthy Danielle Hunter break Jared Allen’s single-season sack record?
The Minnesota Vikings have a storied tradition on the defensive line. From the Purple People Eaters all the way up through today, the lineage is littered with Hall of Famers and members in the Vikings ring of honor.
The latest in the long line of great pass rushers is Danielle Hunter. A third-round pick out of LSU, Hunter burst on the scene in a big way. He had six sacks in his first season with a whopping 12.5 in 2016 as a second-year player.
With his success and 60.5 total sacks, new Vikings Ring of Honor inductee Jared Allen thinks Hunter has the potential to be one of the greats. Hunter one-upped Allen in telling him he’s going to break his team sack record.
#Vikings Ring of Honor inductee Jared Allen said that if edge Danielle Hunter stays healthy he can be one of the all-time greats. Allen said that Hunter told him he's going to break his team sack record of 22.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) July 30, 2022
That sack record was set by Allen in 2011, when he was a first-team All-Pro and second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Allen finished half a sack away from tying Michael Strahan’s record of 22.5 back in 2001. Hunter has three seasons of double-digit sacks with back-to-back years of 14.5 in 2018 and 2019.
His dominance on the defensive line is not too dissimilar to Allen and could make a case to break his team record.
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Demario Davis is finally getting the recognition he deserves with a top-10 ranking as voted on by players, coaches, and executives, via @RossJacksonNOLA:
The role of the NFL linebacker has changed drastically changed across the NFL. With more and more two-linebacker sets, defenses across the league are asking their second-level players to be more involved in the passing game than die-hard football fans will remember from the Lawrence Taylors and Brian Urlachers of the world. New Orleans Saints star Demario Davis has navigated that evolution over the next decade by developing into a multifacted defender who can cover, rush the passer and make plays in the run game. All while being the quarterback of Dennis Allen’s defense.
His progress netted him the No. 6 spot on ESPN’s top-10 off-ball linebackers list ahead of the 2022 season. The rankings are determined by the votes of NFL players, coaches and executives. Davis’ ability to mold to the modern-day game did not go unnoticed. Here’s what NFL personnel shared with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler:
“He might start to decline this year, but he’s so damn smart that it almost doesn’t matter,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “Does everything well.”
“He’s always been an exceptional athlete and worker, and just the maturity that comes from being in the position for so long and being in multiple schemes and the game evolving to more sub-based packages has allowed him to become the three-down prototype,” an NFC scout said.
Davis is expected to be accompanied this season by second-year pro Pete Werner. For the majority of the last two season, he’s worked next to current free agent Kwon Alexander. But Werner’s versatility as a multi-phase defender himself may have a positive impact on Davis. Not to mention the team arguably improved at safety with the offseason acquisitions of Tyrann Mathieu and Marcus Maye. The ability to disguise across the field (and don’t forget C.J. Gardner-Johnson) could generate confusion and hesitation for opposing quarterbacks, opening time for the former Arkansas State Red Wolf to get after them or take advantage of their mistakes over the middle.
Davis’ production has not seen a decline since joining the Saints. He’s racked up over 100 tackles in each of the last four years since arriving in 2018. He’s also produced at a level that no defender across the league has during that span as well.
#Saints linebacker Demario Davis is the only defender in the NFL with 100-plus tackles, 10-plus tackles for loss, and 3 or more sacks in each of the last four (4!) seasons. The only other player to do it more than once in that span is #Bears linebacker Roquan Smith (twice).
— John Sigler (@john_siglerr) June 29, 2022
With his ability to impact that game several different ways on defense, his willingness to continue to evolve with the game, and a strong supporting cast. Davis is primed to outplay his No. 6 ranking in 2022.
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These players don’t get the recognition they deserve in the NFL, starting with Saints linebacker Demario Davis — who still hasn’t been voted into a single Pro Bowl:
The NFL has no shortage of superstars who are the face of the league. But there are plenty of impact players in the NFL who don’t necessarily get the recognition they deserve.
Whether overlooked or ignored all together, these players are significant contributors for their respective teams. They’ve had proven success but haven’t necessarily gotten the praise they deserve.
Our NFL Wire editors examined the most underrated player for each team heading into the 2022 season, highlighting why they’re deserving of recognition.
