Tag: Danielle Hunter Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl snub cost Texans DE Danielle Hunter a nice bonus for 2024 season

Danielle Hunter missing the Pro Bowl might have cost him a bit of cash for 2024.

While Danielle Hunter might rank in the top three for sacks entering Week 18, the Houston Texans defensive end was not one of the three edge rushers selected for the AFC Pro Bowl roster.

Now, his paycheck is suffering the consequences.

According to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry, Hunter’s two-year contract with the included a $1 million bonus for making the Pro Bowl. He’s currently the first alternate behind Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett, Cincinnati Bengals’ Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas Raiders’ Maxx Crosby.

The voting isn’t entirely wrong since Garrett and Hendrickson have a case.

The AFC North duo are tied for the league lead in sacks with 14 apiece. Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, also ranks first in tackles for loss and third in QB hits with 28.

Fans have questioned the move of Crosby over Hunter. Not only is the four-time Pro Bowler from Minnesota healthy entering the final regular season game, his numbers outweigh Crosby’s on every level.

Hunter’s 13 sacks outgain Crosby’s 7.5 by nearly double.

His 17 tackles for loss are one more than Crosby’s 16.

And Hunter leads the league with 90 pressures, according to NFL’s Next Gen stats. Crosby? He’s only totaled 53.

While Crosby is likely to miss the game after undergoing ankle surgery, Hunter’s proven stats were worthy of a first-ballot nod. Time will tell if he opts in and gets a chance to earn the bonus as an alternate next month.

The Texans close out the 2024 regular season on the road against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday. Kickoff from Nashville is scheduled for noon CT.

Was Texans DE Danielle Hunter snubbed a Pro Bowl nod?

Even in a year where the Texans underachieved, Danielle Hunter lived up to expectations and played like a Pro Bowler.

Four Houston Texans players were named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster on Thursday morning.

Danielle Hunter, who’s closing in on a breakout first season down off NRG Stadium, wasn’t one of them.

Take nothing away from Derek Stingley Jr., who made history with his dominant month of December in coverage to break a Texans’ record.

Give credit where credit is due to Nico Collins, who was on pace to lead the NFL in receiving yards before suffering a hamstring string injury in Week 5 that sidelined him for a month.

Even Joe Mixon and Laremy Tunsil deserve their flowers. The veteran running back is seven yards away from being the first player since 2019 to rush for 1,000 yards in a Texans’ uniform.

Tunsil has been a staple in pass protection on a broken and beaten offensive line protecting C.J. Stroud.

But Hunter’s coronation as the ‘Houstonian Herculean Hulk’ shouldn’t go unnoticed. He enters Week 18’s regular-season finale ranked third in sacks and fifth in tackles for loss.

Only teammate Will Anderson Jr. has given him a run for the money in terms of top newcomer in the AFC over two seasons. He too must wait for someone to bow out before being called to Orlando after notching 11 sacks and 58 pressures.

The pass-rushing duo didn’t get the call like their teammates. Instead, Cleveland’s Myles Garrett, Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson and Las Vegas’s Maxx Crosby will represent the AFC defensive ends down in Orlando next month.

The voting isn’t entirely wrong since Garrett and Hendrickson have a case.

The AFC North duo are tied for the league lead in sacks with 14 apiece. Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, also ranks first in tackles for loss and third in QB hits with 28.

But Crosby over Hunter? Signs of “name over production” ring true for the All-Pro pass rusher, who likely won’t even play after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery.

Even going off name alone, Hunter’s been a stalwart in the league since his breakout season in 2017. He’s a sack away from becoming the 46th player in NFL history to hit the triple digits and the first Texan to accomplish the feat since three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.

Crosby finished with 7.5 sacks in 12 games. Hunter had eight QB takedowns by Halloween.

Crosby was better against the run, totaling 16 tackles for loss in a dozen games. Hunter needed two more games, but his 17 trumps Crosby’s by a lone stat.

And the four-time Pro Bowler from Minnesota also had 23 QB hits and a league-leading 90 pressures, according to NFL’s Next Gen stats. Crosby? He finished with 20 and 59, respectively.

Hunter will likely get the call because of opt-outs. He’s the first in line to replace one of the trio as an alternate entering the postseason. Given Crobsy’s injury status, that call should arrive before the Texans welcome the No. 5 seed to NRG Stadium next week.

Crosby’s persona as one of the league’s top defenders is well-documented. The same goes for Hunter and even a rising star like Anderson.

Sometimes, giving the nod to a player who intends to play tends to make the most sense.

Given Hunter’s numbers, it should have been a no-brainer.