The New York Giants had two players — running back Saquon Barkley and defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence — named to the 2023 Pro Bowl Games NFC roster.
Barkley was chosen as a starter, while Lawrence has been chosen as a reserve.
YOUR PRO BOWLERS 🥳
📰: https://t.co/1KYQtxAUEV pic.twitter.com/JSkvJFJYQg
— New York Giants (@Giants) December 22, 2022
This is Barkley’s second Pro Bowl selection and Lawrence’s first. Barkley’s other selection came after his Rookie of the Year season back in 2018.
“What would it mean making the Pro Bowl?” Barkley said on Wednesday before the announcement. “I can’t sit here and be like, ‘Oh, it wouldn’t mean anything,’ because that’s part of the fans. The fans vote and give you an opportunity to get in there and also coaches and players vote. So, it just shows a respect of your peers and the respect of the fans out there.
“So, I’ll just be more thankful, show more gratitude to those people, because the only way you get in is because of that. Obviously, it’s determined with the play that you do on the football field, but I’ll just be more thankful and show gratitude to the people that voted me in.”
Lawrence was selected for the first time in his four-year career. Like Barkley, he was a first-round pick of the Giants (No. 17 overall in 2019). Barkley was taken second overall in 2018.
Lawrence is the first Giants defensive lineman to be named to the Pro Bowl since defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul was selected for the second time back in 2012, and the first interior lineman since nose tackle Erik Howard was honored in 1990.
Four other Giants are alternates to the Pro Bowl: placekicker Graham Gano (second alternate), tackle Andrew Thomas and center Jon Feliciano (both third alternates), and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux (fourth).
Many believed Thomas would be named after a breakout season. Philadelphia’s Lane Johnson, San Francisco’s Trent Williams, and Tristan Wirfs of Tampa Bay are the NFC’s tackles this year.
