The Cincinnati Bengals have three Pro Bowlers on their roster as running back Joe Mixon, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and defensive end Trey Hendrickson were named to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday night. Rookie standout Chase was voted as a starter for the AFC team.
“It’s a tremendous honor for our players to be recognized among the league’s best by their peers, coaches and fans,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. “Ja’Marr, Trey and Joe have had terrific seasons, and their contributions both on and off the field have been critical for us all year long.
The last time the Bengals had three Pro Bowlers on their roster was in 2017 when wide receiver A.J. Green, defensive tackle Geno Atkins and long snapper Clark Harris. This marks the first time under Taylor his team has multiple players earning Pro Bowl selections, a sign his roster is improving drastically.
Cincinnati has five players who were named alternates, including quarterback Joe Burrow who is a second alternate as is Harris. Defensive end Sam Hubbard and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi are fourth alternates and rounding out the group is cornerback Mike Hilton as a fifth alternate. These alternates are added to the game if the voted player in their position group are unable to participate, including players on teams playing in the Super Bowl.
There’s no surprise Chase earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in his first season as he led the way in fan voting for majority of the season. Chase, Cincinnati’s first-round pick, leads all rookies in receiving yards (1,038) and touchdowns (10). He also leads the Bengals in receptions (61) and receiving yards and touchdowns. His connection with Burrow has resulted in several game-changing plays for the Bengals this year.
Coming off a year in which he recorded 13.5 sacks with the New Orleans Saints, Hendrickson is playing even better in his first season with the Bengals. With three games to go in the regular season, Hendrickson leads his team in sacks with 13 and ranks fifth in this category leaguewide. His 13 sacks are already the third-most in team history. Hendrickson has recorded at least a half-sack in each of Cincinnati’s last 10 games.
Mixon is one of the AFC’s best running backs and was voted in as such. Only three running backs make the Pro Bowl and he earned a spot joining Colts’ Jonathan Taylor and Browns’ Nick Chubb. The former second-round pick ranks second in the league in rushing yards with 1,094, second in attempts (262) and third in rushing touchdowns with 12.
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