Now that we are about halfway through the regular season, it is time to start considering which players are deserving of the Pro Bowl. For this series, we will look at the three most deserving candidates for each team. Obviously, some teams will have more or less than three players selected to the Pro Bowl, but for simplicity purposes, we will discuss the top three. Here are the top Pro Bowl candidates for the Washington Redskins.
Top Midseason Washington Redskins Pro Bowl Candidates
Jordan Reed
Jordan Reed is one of the most dynamic tight ends in football. Not only can he block but he has incredible hands. Reed’s receiving abilities easily rival those of some of the league’s better wide receivers. In the six games he’s been active in, he is averaging seven receptions and 70 yards per game. To put that into comparison, New York Giants star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. averages 5.5 receptions per game. Antonio Brown averages 6.8 receptions per game. And Julio Jones averages 5.6 receptions per game. Those are arguably the league’s top three wide receivers, and Reed averages more touches per game than any of them. This speaks volumes to both his quarterback’s faith in him as a pass catcher and his skill in the receiving game.
Jamison Crowder
Jamison Crowder started off the season third on the depth chart behind fellow receivers Pierre Garçon and DeSean Jackson. Through the course of the season he has worked his way up to be the team’s leading receiver and found the top of the depth chart. He has 40 receptions for 498 yards and has scored four times.
Despite his small size of only 5’9″, Crowder has proven to be a dynamic receiving threat that gives defenses trouble. The past two weeks before his bye he had huge games stats wise. Week seven against the Lions he went off for 108 yards on seven receptions. The next week, against the Bengals, he caught the ball nine times for 107 yards and a touchdown reception. This second year receiver out of Duke is looking like he’s on pace to have a breakout year.
Kirk Cousins
Even though he’s already had his bye, Kirk Cousins still ranks in the league’s top ten in passing yardage, top five in yards per game, and top five in completion percentage. So far this season he has completed 67 percent of his throws for 2,454 yards. Scoring wise, he has thrown 12 touchdowns compared to seven interceptions and ran for an additional score.
These numbers put him on pace for over 4,800 yards and around 24 touchdown passes by season’s end, very respectable numbers. Though his play isn’t flashy or even always pretty, Kirk Cousins has turned into one of the league’s top ten quarterbacks overall and it’s about time he gets the recognition for it.
Honorable Mention
Ryan Kerrigan
Ryan Kerrigan is one of the few bright spots on Washington’s bad defense. He is tied for sixth in the league for sacks, having seven so far. Despite having only 18 tackles so far this season Kerrigan has been having a productive year as a pressure man. He’s done his job keeping opposing quarterbacks on their toes.
