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 either way.
Top Midseason Pro Bowl Candidates: Pittsburgh Steelers
Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown is looking for his fourth Pro Bowl, and it would be his third in a row. Brown has had a rough four games in which Michael Vick and Landry Jones were his quarterbacks, but despite that he is on pace for 104 catches, 1,436 yards and six touchdowns, which may be lower than his last two seasons, but he should still be commended for his work. In his four games with Ben Roethlisberger this year, he has 35 catches, for 483 yards and all three of his touchdowns came in Roethlisberger starts. Those stats extrapolated out give him numbers that would put him near first in every category, and without his quarterback he is fourth in the league in receptions and seventh in the league in yards. To see him with just a couple more games of healthy Roethlisberger should have him at the status of clear-cut pro bowler, and starter.
Ben Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger is shooting for Pro Bowl number four, and it would be his second in a row. Roethlisberger is going to be a tougher sell than Brown, because Brown was still able to produce during his injury. Over a four game stretch, one in which ended in injury, one in which was his first game back from injury against an undefeated division rival, it is hard to tell exactly how well he has done this year. With the Raiders and Browns coming to Pittsburgh, this two-week stretch will be key for Big Ben to rebuild his status, and regain a connection with his wide receivers before heading into the bye week. When looking at the top quarterbacks this year, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, and a full season of Eli Manning, the thought would be that Roethlisberger might miss the cut this year. However, there is a good chance two of those quarterbacks, if not himself will be playing in the Super Bowl, as well as others dropping out and you would suspect he is right there to get a nod, and a big stretch of games away from being a no brainer.
Cameron Heyward
Cameron Heyward is looking to make his first Pro Bowl in his fourth season in the NFL. The Ohio State product has been slowly becoming a fit in Pittsburgh, and this year it is really paying off. In the Steelers 3-4 defense Heyward is a guy to take up blockers for the outside linebackers, and in a rotation of rookie Bud Dupree, and Arthur Moats the two have 5.5 sacks. In addition, this year he has collected three sacks, and 20 tackles. The Steelers have seen some of the most injuries in the league, and Heyward has spent time next to a rotation of players. Despite that he has held up the defensive line, and the unit ranks sixth against the run according to Football Outsiders. It may take a few big performances to make him a sure thing, but like Roethlisberger, there is a decent chance Heyward would get the call at one point or the other.
It certainly has been an injury plagued year for the Steelers. Leveon Bell was more than likely a sure thing as a Pro Bowler but will miss the rest of this season with a knee injury. Other Steelers who may have made a push such as Maurkice Pouncey, Stephon Tuitt, Ryan Shazier, and Kelvin Beachum have now all missed too much time to get any recognition. Martavis Bryant is currently playing, but a four game suspension to start the year certainly set things back for the second year receiver, and he would be a tough sell at this point.
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