The New Orleans Saints have a few players on their team who have been relative mainstays on the Pro Bowl roster each year. Ironically, new quarterback Derek Carr made the Pro Bowl last season with the Las Vegas Raiders. Marshon Lattimore and Alvin Kamara are regulars in the postseason all-star game. Lattimore has been a Pro Bowler in all but two seasons of his career while Kamara missed it for the first time last year.
Surprisingly, Demario Davis made his very first Pro Bowl in 2022 (joining Cameron Jordan) despite being an All-Pro player in each of the last four seasons. Who could follow his lead? There are four candidates to make their first Pro Bowl in 2023:
Chris Olave
Olave is likely the biggest breakout candidate for the New Orleans Saints this year, among all positions. He is on the short list of players who have a chance to catapult themselves to star status. Naturally, that would give him a good chance to reach the Pro Bowl. The biggest obstacle in his way, however, is wide receiver could be the deepest position in the NFC. Justin Jefferson, A.J. Brown, Ceedee Lamb and a returning Cooper Kupp are just a few of the names Olave will be battling for this spot. Olave has the talent, but also might have the toughest road to a Pro Bowl.
Jamaal Williams
Alvin Kamara has settled his court cases, and word from the NFL about a potential suspension should come down soon. During his assumed absence, Williams will be carrying the boatload of the carries. Even with Kamara in the lineup, you should see Williams getting double digit carries multiple weeks. His prowess as a goal line runner can lead to him hitting double digit rushing touchdowns for the second year in a row.
Juwan Johnson
Johnson already has the mindset to truly take his game to the next level. He’s been studying receivers like Julian Edelman. When you look at Johnson, there are multiple receiving threats that would come to your mind before Edelman. Johnson studied Edelman simply to get better at Derek Carr’s favorite route, the whip route. It’s that level of dedication that led to Johnson tripling his career high in receiving yardage last season. Johnson could turn into a go-to target in the middle of the field and red zone in 2023.
Pete Werner
In his second year in the league, Werner forced two fumbles. That’s an increase from his rookie year and a trend he’ll need to continue. Plays like that were something that was missing from his game, but Werner already has shown himself to be a tackling machine. He averaged about 9 tackles per game prior to injury. If he can come close to that with more game changing plays, Werner could see his first Pro Bowl nod.
