Bengals who got snubbed from the NFL Pro Bowl

The Bengals found out Tuesday that they will have at least two representatives in the Pro Bowl.

No surprises with those two players being A.J. Green and Geno Atkins. Easily the best player the Bengals have on offense and defense. Vontaze Burfict was also named an alternate at linebacker, while Clayton Fejedelem was an alternate special teams player.

Still, even though the Bengals just secured their second losing season in a row, it is hard to ignore the fact that the Bengals had a few players who were at the very least deserving of being an alternate.

The most obvious is Carlos Dunlap. Sure, Dunlap isn’t having a great season with sacks. He currently only has 5.5 sacks, but he has six batted passes and an interception for a touchdown that led to the Bengals beating the Colts.

The fact he wasn’t even named an alternate is frustrating. I get guys like Calais Campbell, Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack getting the nod over Dunlap. Still Dunlap not being an alternate is disappointing. It seems voters just took into account sacks and nothing else.

Someone less obvious who got snubbed was Clint Boling. Hold your outrage for one second. Yes, there is one offensive linemen on this team who is worthy of the Pro Bowl.

The line as a whole was bad, but Boling has been tremendous this season. He is currently Pro Football Focus’ 14th ranked guard this season. The Bengals’ offensive line being so bad made it hard for him to even have a shot, which is unfortunate because he is having a great season.

Then there are two young guys who may not have made it this season, but there is no doubt they will have a handful of trips to the Pro Bowl in their future. Carl Lawson wasn’t eligible to be voted for because he wasn’t a starter. That should change next season. The rookie still leads all rookies with 7.5 sacks on the season. He is second on the Bengals behind only Geno Atkins.

Lawson has spent time on Pro Football Focus’ Top 10 Rookies list this season, and he is their 35th ranked edge rusher this season in a limited role with the Bengals. It is clear that Lawson isn’t a finished product, and he will only get better as he gets properly coached up in the coming years.

William Jackson has shown us why the Bengals took him in the first round two years ago. He burst onto the scene by taking an Aaron Rodgers pick to the house in his first real NFL action.

Jackson has followed that performance up by shutting down Antonio Brown twice. He has also played very well in Dre Kirkpatrick’s absence recently. Jackson didn’t have a shot this season. With a full season under his belt as a starter next season though, he should easily be in the conversation for a trip to the Pro Bowl.

It has been a rough year overall, and the Bengals only having a few players in the Pro Bowl doesn’t ease the pain too much. At least we can look forward to them changing that next season.