FRISCO, Texas – Fans have the opportunity to cast their votes for the 2019 Pro Bowl during the four week voting window from November 13th and will conclude on December 13th. Vote at NFL.com/ProBowlVote. NFL Coaches and players will vote on December 14th. The final roster for the Pro Bowl will be announced on Tuesday December 18 on NFL Network’s special: “ NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed” at 8:00 PM ET. The competition between the NFC and AFC’s best will take place on January 27, 2019 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida. Week festivities will be held at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort.
There are 88 total players selected to play and here is the format of the upcoming roster:
Offense- Wide Receivers (8), Tight Ends (4), Tackles (6), Guards (6), Centers (4), Quarterbacks (6), Running Backs (6), Fullbacks (2).
Defense- Defensive Ends (6), Interior Lineman (6), Outside Linebackers (6), Inside/Middle Linebackers (4), Cornerbacks (8), Safeties (6).
Special Teams- Punters (2), Placekickers (2), Return Specialists (2), Special Teamers (2), Need Players (2 of Coach’s Choice).
The Dallas Cowboys have six possible candidates in this year’s Pro Bowl: RB Ezekiel Elliott, G Zack Martin, DE DeMarcus Lawrence, MLB Jaylon Smith, OLB Leighton Vander Esch, and CB Byron Jones.
Ezekiel Elliott has amassed 1150 rushing yards, six touchdowns, 4.8 yards per attempt, and a 95.8% of yards per gain. In 2018, he leads the league in rushing attempts with 240 at No.1, in yards from scrimmage with 1573 at No.2, in all-purpose yards with 1573 at No.2, and touches with 293 at No.1 according to Pro Football Focus. Against the Saints, his receiving yards allowed him to reach 1,000 for his career (1,055) to become the 16th RB in team history to accomplish the feat. With the win against the Saints, Dallas improved to 21-6 in games where Elliott rushes for 20-or-more carries. He is the focal point for the Cowboys’ ground game and fights for every yard on each carry. He has great patience for the o-line to open up holes at the line of scrimmage and instincts to quickly react and gain yardage. He has great balance when contacted by defenders and is much deserving of the honor.
Zack Martin is one of the most underrated players on the team. The last few games, Martin has done outstanding protecting Dak from defensive lineman during pass plays and opening up holes for Elliott- helping to establish the run game. The offensive line has been through a tough transition year with the absence of Travis Frederick at center and in the past couple of weeks, Xavier Su’a-Filo has taken over for Connor Williams at LG, and Cameron Fleming took over at LT for Tyron Smith. Martin has battled his own knee injury but is a warrior and has fought through the pain to help out his teammates in a time of need. This year he was listed on the NFL’s top 100 list at No.71 and there is a reason this veteran has been in a Pro Bowl every year he has been in the league starting with his rookie season in 2014.
DeMarcus Lawrence is an impact player with his innate ability to get to quarterbacks with his power off the edge. He disrupts throwing lanes and makes critical stops, like his tackle on fourth and one at the goal line against the Saints, keeping their offense out of the end zone and forcing them to punt. He has accumulated an interception, a forced fumble, 8.5 sacks, and 50 combined tackles this season. Lawrence is a cornerstone on the Cowboys’ defense. He may be a talker, but he backs up what he says with his dominance on the gridiron each week.
Jaylon Smith has looked more comfortable on the field this season than he ever has since his injury. He is a beast from sideline to sideline and makes good hard tackles on key plays. He works hard on every snap of the ball and is a guy that loves the game of football. His mindset and “clear eye view” has gotten him through the battles he has faced up to this point. He has tremendous lateral speed following the track of the football and is able to force running backs to the corners of the field. In 2018 he has accumulated 87 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and 4.0 sacks. Smith was given a second chance when his knee rejuvenated from a torn ACL and MCL after doctors told him he may never play again, and he plays to his full potential taking advantage of this opportunity he thought he might never have.
Leighton Vander Esch the linebacker duo of LVE and Smith is the most dangerous in the league. Vander Esch has looked more like a veteran than a rookie this season. He was awarded the NFC’s defensive player of the week last week, and was just given the title of the NFL’s defensive player of the month. He has racked up 102 combined tackles, seven pass defends, and two interceptions. This season, the Cowboys’ have been in a much better place with the absence of Sean Lee, due to the level of performance that LVE has been playing at. He has developed and grown with Lee’s mentorship and coaching on the sideline. Each week Vander Esch gets better and better, if that is even possible. He has the ability to mirror quarterback’s eyes and redirect from sideline to sideline as he follows. He has strong hands to break up passes and take them away. Vander Esch is always around the football and understands angles to close in and make tackles. He started out playing eight-man football in high school and is now one of the most explosive performers on the Cowboys’ defense.
Byron Jones has made his mark this season at the cornerback position. He has had 12 pass defends this season and has the athleticism and speed on routes to beat receivers on man-to-man coverage. He has been a shutdown corner and has not personally allowed a touchdown in coverage this season. Jones has allowed a passer rating of only 67.4 on throws against him and is one-of-two players in 2018 to limit opposing receivers to a catch percentage of 50% or less. Kris Richard made the right move at the start of the season making the position switch and Jones continues to make big stops each week for America’s Team.
