The Pittsburgh Steelers got two players on the Pro Bowl when rosters were announced. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick made perfect sense. He’s having another big season and has re-established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL after being relegated to a run defender last season.
Pittsburgh also got linebacker T.J. Watt in, which didn’t seem to make much sense. Watt has only played in seven games after ending up on IR with a torn pectoral. Watt only has four sacks on the season, well off his typical pace.
But who got snubbed so Watt could make the Pro Bowl? The most likely answer is Watt’s own teammate Alex Highsmith. Granted, Highsmith has been much better when Watt is on the field with him but the numbers don’t lie. Highsmith’s 11.0 sacks rank seventh in the NFL and among AFC linebackers, only New England’s Matthew Judon has more.
The NFL changed up everything when it comes to the Pro Bowl so maybe Watt won’t want to travel to Las Vegas and play flag football and he can bow out and let his more deserving teammate take his spot and make his first Pro Bowl.
