Dallas Cowboys' Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence snubbed from 2021 Pro Bowl
The 2021 NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Monday evening, and there were no Dallas Cowboys players selected for the first time in 31 years. You read that correctly. For the first time since 1989, the Dallas Cowboys will have a total of zero representatives in the National Football League Pro Bowl. Not a […]
The 2021 NFL Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Monday evening, and there were no Dallas Cowboys players selected for the first time in 31 years.
You read that correctly.
For the first time since 1989, the Dallas Cowboys will have a total of zero representatives in the National Football League Pro Bowl. Not a single one.
Injuries played a big role in Cowboys having no Pro Bowl selections.
The injury bug has not been kind to the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 — a big factor in why the Cowboys sit at 5-9 going into week 16. Quarterback Dak Prescott, offensive linemen Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, and Zack Martin, and several other players on the roster have missed extended time due to injuries.
Prescott, Smith, Collins, and Martin are all multi-time Pro Bowlers in their respective careers, and all four would have likely have had better than decent chances to earn another selection this season had it not been for injuries.
Alas, the first three mentioned have missed more games than they played this season, while Martin played just 10 games in 2020. Despite how good Martin has been this season and throughout his career, it makes some sense why he was not added to the roster this time around.
Ezekiel Elliott had a below-average season.
It has been well-documented how poorly Ezekiel Elliott has performed through 14 games this season. The former All-Pro and Pro Bowl running back has regressed mightily, struggling as both a ball carrier and as a pass catcher.
Zeke has not shown the same kind of explosive or game-breaking ability in 2020 that he has had in years past. The veteran back has had just one 100-yard rushing game this season, has produced very few 20+ yard plays, and has put the ball on the turf a total of six times.
As a result, to not much of surprise, Elliott is not a Pro Bowl selection for the second time in his professional career.
Cooper, Lawrence performed at Pro Bowl levels.
Despite the Cowboys being mediocre in 2020, Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence have been big time players and both have strong cases to be Pro Bowlers this season.
Cooper has proven to be a top-10 wide receiver — even without Dak Prescott throwing him the football. Coop has grabbed 82 passes for 952 yards and five touchdowns this season and deserved to be selected to the Pro Bowl.
Lawrence, meanwhile, does not put up flashy sack numbers, but he is a disruptive force and is among the better defensive ends in all of football. Philadelphia's Brandon Graham and Washington's Chase Young were given Pro Bowl nods over Tank.
As you can see, Lawrence certainly had a strong case to be selected over his divisional counterparts:
In other news, the Dallas Cowboys are still in contention to win the NFC East crown with two more games to be played. The team will need some help to win its third division title in the last five seasons, but Dallas has a chance to reach the postseason nonetheless.
Perhaps both Cooper and Lawrence will use the Pro Bowl snubs as fuel to finish the season out strong.
