Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith and running back Aaron Jones both missed out on the initial 2020 Pro Bowl rosters released Tuesday.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and left tackle David Bakhtiari were the only two players from Green Bay selected for the team.
Smith is having an All-Pro season in 2019, with 10 sacks, 30 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for losses over his first 14 games with the Packers. He’s a first alternate behind Chandler Jones, Khalil Mack and Shaquill Barrett. Mack is a great player for the Chicago Bears, but it’d be hard to argue he’s having a better year than Smith, one of the biggest offseason acquisitions in the NFL this season.
It’s possible Smith could follow the recent path of Bakhtiari, a three-time All-Pro who was twice snubbed for the Pro Bowl.
Jones had fierce competition for a Pro Bowl spot at running back. Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott were all deserving, although it could be argued Jones – and his 1,255 total yards and 17 total touchdowns – has had a far more impactful season than Elliott.
For both Smith and Jones, a lack of name recognition likely hurt their Pro Bowl chances.
Other notables for the Packers include kicker Mason Crosby and right tackle Bryan Bulaga.
Crosby has been close to automatic, but he’s also 26th in the NFL in field goals made. He’s the first alternate at kicker.
Bulaga wasn’t even an alternate. He’s shut down several of the league’s top pass-rushers in 2019, including Khalil Mack and Demarcus Lawrence, but right tackles rarely get Pro Bowl recognition.
Outside linebacker Preston Smith led the fan voting, but he’s nothing more than an alternate. Smith has 11.5 sacks and 22 quarterback hits this season.
Cornerback Jaire Alexander, who had Pro Bowl and All-Pro dreams coming into the season, is also an alternate. He’s tallied 16 pass breakups and two interceptions in 2019.
Defensive tackle Kenny Clark got off to a hot start and has been dominant for the last month, but he didn’t have the volume numbers to make it in a strong field of interior defenders.
The NFC long snapper is former Packer Rick Lovato, now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.