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: Washington Redskins
Trent Williams
Trent Williams has been one of the best left tackles in the league for years, as he is looking to make his fourth straight Pro Bowl. So far this year, he has been dominant like usual and he has anchored a young Redskins offensive line. Pro Football Focus awarded Trent Williams with a grade of 85.9 for his play so far, although his grade for pass blocking is significantly higher than his grade for run blocking. However, this low grade can probably be attributed to the struggles of the Redskins rushing attack recently, and that should not be pinned on Williams. Williams is a solid run blocker, but the poor performance from the other offensive linemen makes his job significantly harder. If Washington can figure out how to run the ball again, Williams will look even better. At the prime age of 27, Williams is poised to see many more Pro Bowls in the near future.
Bashaud Breeland
This selection is a bit more complicated because Breeland missed one game because of a suspension and was limited in two other games because of an injury, but he has been very good on the field this season. Pro Football Focus assigned him a grade of 83.4, which is slightly below the Pro Bowl mark (85), but part of that can be attributed to the injury that limited him at the beginning of the season. So far this year, he has eight passes defended, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles to go along with 29 tackles, so he has quietly racked up solid numbers. Breeland is definitely one of the most underrated cornerbacks in the league. While he is going to need some help to get into the Pro Bowl as an alternate at best, he has a better chance than every other Redskin besides Trent Williams.
Dashon Goldson
This might be a stretch, but Dashon Goldson is quietly putting up a very solid year and he is looking to make his third career Pro Bowl (first since 2012). He is tied for seventh in the league among safeties with 47 tackles and he has caught one interception. To put that into perspective, Malcolm Jenkins only has five more tackles and most people consider him to be a lock for the Pro Bowl. That being said, Goldson is going to need to post some noteworthy performances down the stretch and he needs a little luck to sneak into the Pro Bowl as an alternate. The one thing in his favor is that sometimes the Pro Bowl can be a popularity contest and people know him from his days with the 49ers and his huge hits.
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