2026 Pro Bowl roster snubs: Who should be an NFL all-star?

There are always some standout NFL players who should make the Pro Bowl but are not named to the starting AFC and NFC rosters. Of course, many of those rookies join in as replacements for injured or Super Bowl-bound players, but there are always questions when the roster is first announced. and after the roaster 2026 pro bowl (Feb. 3, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN) was unveiled Tuesday morning, we have some questions.

NFL analysts Ben Solak and Seth Walder pick out some standout players who may be disappointed by not making AFC or NFC teams. And when selecting these snobs, Solak and Walder divided them into two categories:

And because there are only so many spots on these rosters, we’re also selecting a player to replace each suggested snub. it’s only fair. Let’s dive in, starting with the NFC quarterbacks.

Go to a section:
must be completely inside
could possibly be in

Players who absolutely must be included

Who should replace him: Sam Darnoldcubby, Seattle Seahawks

Why should he be in it: Love is the victim of #QBWinz, but it’s not really close: Despite the lesser team’s wins, he should easily prevail over Darnold. Love’s 72.8 QBR ranks third in the NFL while Darnold is close behind at 60.8 (12th). Both have been accurate passers, and Darnold is getting nearly a yard more per dropback than Love. But there is one area that leans heavily toward love – turnover. Love has eight and Darnold has 18, two more than any other quarterback this season! If only Love had thought about playing with an elite defense, he would have made the Pro Bowl. –Walder

Who should replace him: Amon-Ra Saint Brownwr, detroit lions

Why should he be in it: Olave is in the top 10 in all volume statistics – fifth in targets, sixth in receptions, eighth in receiving yards, eighth in receiving touchdowns – while still boasting solid efficiency. He’s done this without much help at receiver (he ranks eighth in his team’s receiving yardage share and fourth in air yard share) and with a midseason quarterback change. St. Brown has similar production, but has been in this dance before and is having an average season in contrast to Olave’s excellent season. I’ll give it to Olave. –Solak

Who should replace him: jalen carterDT, philadelphia eagles

Why should he be in it: Turner leads NFC interior defenders with 34 total pass rush wins and is third among Pro Bowlers in the NFL chris jones And jeffrey simmonsTurner also has 7,0 sacks and a run stop win rate that is a hair above average, That’s a much better resume than Carter’s, who has only played 10 games, has 2,0 sacks and has a worse pass rush win rate than Turner, –Walder

Who should replace him: roquan smithLB, Baltimore Ravens

Why should he be in it: Brooks should be the leading vote-getter for All-Pro linebacker consideration; He’s been the NFL’s best linebacker this season, full stop. Brooks is a high-volume tackler on the porous Dolphins defense, and he still gets stops at or near the line of scrimmage. His 5.6% stuff rate leads all high-volume linebackers, as well as his minus-45.0 run stop EPA. Brooks remains a high-impact coverage linebacker who declines the middle-of-the-field targets that other linebackers allow.

I would have voted for him over Roquan Smith. Aziz Al-ShayarBrian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, Jack Lambert, even my own kid. –Solak

Who should replace him: jack dwarfLB, philadelphia eagles

Why should he be in it: Pro Bowl honors great season devon witherspoon, leonard williams And demarcus lawrence But one key the Seahawks missed: Jones. He is coming off his worst game of the season after being pushed around Matthew StaffordBut he has been a high-impact playmaker in coverages for a Seattle defense that demands more of him than the average scheme. He is a slippery defender who often closes multiple gaps while playing a cat-and-mouse game with ball carriers. Snap for snap, he has done little more than Bonn this season. –Solak

Who should replace him: trent williamsot, san francisco 49ers

Why should he be in it: If Joe Alt Could make the Pro Bowl despite only playing six games, I don’t particularly understand how the best tackle in football couldn’t make the Pro Bowl despite playing 10 games. Johnson is a unique talent at right tackle who should have been among all three NFC tackles unless his health absence was disqualifying. –Solak

Who should replace him: TJ Wattolb, pittsburgh steelers

Why should he be in it: Watt continues to get Pro Bowl nods based on his name and lifetime accomplishments, but his pressure rate is 9.8% this season – fourth among pass rushers on your own teamSure, he gets more fumbles and remains a great player against the run, but Hines-Allen has the same number of sacks (7) with a higher pressure rate (15,0%) as Watt, It’s okay to say Watt is a good player and it’s okay to give Pro Bowl nods to people with more juice, –Solak

Who should replace him: patrick rickardfb, Baltimore Ravens

Why should he be in it: Allow me a moment to talk fullback. Ingold has played 304 snaps this season and is a special part of the Dolphins’ revitalized rushing attack. Without him, we would never have D’Von Achen We are currently enjoying career season. Rickard, who missed the first six weeks of the season, has not had nearly the same impact on the Ravens’ offensive attack, which has generally been less effective than Miami’s unit. The decision here would be easy if it weren’t for the fact that he is a fullback, and there are virtually zero statistics to differentiate his individual and intrinsic value. –Solak

Who should replace him: trace pathP, Washington Commanders

Why should he be in it: This has generally been a fall season for punting. Punters are calibrating the new K-balls and coverage units have spent less time practicing punt coverage (spending more time solving the new kickoff). That said, I’d prefer to give the nod to Wright, who has downed 10 punts inside the 10-yard line and four punts inside the 5 this season, with only one touchback on 54 attempts. –Solak

Players who can potentially join

Whom can he replace: Joe Altot, los angeles chargers

Why he might be in it: Don’t get me wrong, I like Joe Alt. If he stays healthy he is on track to be Defender of the Year. But he only played six games, which is by no means enough to make the Pro Bowl. I’m open to a lot of tackles at this position, but Stanley ranks fifth in pass block win rate and 13th in run block win rate. Metrics-wise, he looks like the next best fit after AFC Dion Dawkins And Garrett Boles, –Walder

Whom can he replace: Joe ThuniYes, Chicago Bears

Why he might be in it: There are four really good guards in the NFC this season but only three spots to roam. Dotson is the primary force behind the Rams’ historically consistent running game, as Los Angeles’ best runs are often fueled by Dotson’s power at the first level and his ability to bring that power behind his explosiveness at the second level. it’s too hard to knock chris lindstrom Or Thuney would be left out of Pro Bowl consideration, but it would be defensible to bring Dotson in. –Solak

Whom can he replace: Trey SmithYes, kansas city chiefs

Why he might be in it: Seumalo’s blocking metrics have been exceptional this season. He ranks second in pass block win rate and fifth in run block win rate at guard, respectively. And get this…he hasn’t been flagged for a single penalty all season. Seumalo has played an important role in keeping aaron rodgers Straight. –Walder

Whom can he replace: byron youngolb, Los Angeles Rams

Why he might be in it: Depending on how you slice the arguments, the young-to-youth exchange will be defensive. There is no doubt that Byron Young is a high-performing defender. Chase Young plays an upfield game that takes him out of run defense, while Byron is one of the more impressive edge rushers behind the line of scrimmage. But according to NFL Next Gen Stats, Chase has the fastest get-off, time-to-pressure and instant pressure rate of all NFL pass rushers. He is also the only high-impact player in the Saints’ pass rush portfolio. Both the youth deserve praise. –Solak

Whom can he replace: travis kelstee, kansas city chiefs

Why he might be in it: Warren and Kelce are close in production. Kelce has the edge in receiving yards (803 compared to 748), but Warren has slightly more yards per route run (1.80 to 1.75). But their quarterback situations were quite different. for that much Daniel Jones Despite exceeding expectations in Indianapolis this season, he’s still nowhere near patrick mahomesAnd while Warren’s production has declined recently, when the Colts’ offense was lukewarm earlier this season, the rookie tight end was a big part of that success, I give him the edge over the veteran, –Walder

Whom can he replace: jessie hornCB, carolina panthers

Why he might be in it: It’s extremely challenging to talk about Wright, who may not be one of the four best cornerbacks in the NFC, but his season has been so turnover-filled that it’s impossible to ignore. Wright had five interceptions and three fumble recoveries on a defense that desperately needed takeaways to keep the lead, and his emergence saved the Bears. jaylon johnsonAbsence of injury. Wright deserves a Pro Bowl nod for his incredible peak season – even if it takes Horn, another great corner, out of the picture. –Solak