FRISCO, Texas – After not being represented in the exhibition last season, the Dallas Cowboys are back on the Pro Bowl roster in 2021.
On Wednesday evening, the NFL announced the initial rosters for the esteemed annual all-star game. The Cowboys had five selections: linebacker Micah Parsons, cornerback Trevon Diggs, right guard Zack Martin, left tackle Tyron Smith and punter Bryan Anger.
Dallas currently sits atop the NFC East with a 10-4 record. The Cowboys are the No. 2 seed in the NFC, with the Green Bay Packers at No. 1. The team is on the cusp of an NFC Championship, and it is no surprise to see several of the bright spots throughout the season receive recognition for their production on the field. However, for the majority of the last decade, the offense has made a splash at the Pro Bowl for the Cowboys with skill positions and offensive linemen present at the festivities.
This year, the Cowboys’ defense boasts the NFL interception leader (10) in Diggs and rookie phenom in Parsons. Parsons’ 12 sacks have him ranked seventh, but he has a higher pass rush win-rate on fewer pass rush opportunities than other premier players around the league. He is only the 12th rookie in Cowboys’ history to be named to the Pro Bowl and one of four rookies this year represented. Diggs’ 10 picks have sparked the surge to 31 total takeaways, tied for the most in the NFL. With Diggs’ ball skills on the back end and Parsons’ closing speed on quarterbacks — A lethal combination has materialized.
“It would be an extreme honor,” Parsons remarked when asked about the possibility of being named to the Pro Bowl. “One of those things where it’s not an expectation; it’s something that you earn. If I don’t earn it this year, I’ll have a chance to go out and earn it next year and keep getting better and going harder and really trying to expand on my game.”
A punter may be an unusual candidate to see on the list of household names but a player worth recognizing. Against the Giants, Bryan Anger pinned them to their own 9, 8, 8 and 7 during the duration of the game. Throughout the season, he has put opponents in unfavorable field position culminating in stalled drives. He is the third Cowboys’ specialist selected to the Pro Bowl in the past decade (long snapper L.P. Ladouceur, 2014 and kicker Dan Bailey, 2015).
Familiar names once again made the cut. Zack Martin missed the Pro Bowl last year for the first time in his star-studded career due to a calf injury that took him out of the starting lineup for several games. Martin missed the season opener with COVID-19 in 2021 but has played in every other contest, garnering his seventh appearance for excellence on the field. He is arguably the best guard in football. No. 70 is the anchor of the offensive line, the best run blocker of the squad and is rarely beaten at the point of attack.
Tyron Smith missed four games in the second half of the season with a lingering ankle injury but when present, is one of the league’s elite blindside tackles. He makes his eighth appearance in the Pro Bowl and is the only Cowboy among the five who is not a starter in the Pro Bowl lineup.
All an integral part of the Cowboys’ winning record and well-deserving of the achievement.
