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Geno Atkins won’t be playing in the 2019 NFL Pro Bowl.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that Atkins is dropping out of the game and he’ll be replaced by Ravens defensive tackle Brandon Williams.
Atkins was not on the injury report in Week 17 and no injury was announced in the season finale at Pittsburgh. He played 78 percent of the snaps, his second highest total of the year. https://t.co/24t04nU0qK
— Jay Morrison (@JayMorrisonATH) January 15, 2019
It’s unclear if Atkins actually has an injury or if he’s dropping out to avoid risking an injury in a joke of a game that doesn’t feature much, if any real defense.
This is actually good news, especially after the whole Tyler Eifert debacle in 2016. Bengals fans would probably rather not see anyone playing in the Pro Bowl unless it’s a young guy playing in his first all-star game like Clayton Fejedelem, who is a special teams alternate.
Atkins, nor any veteran defender with as much wear and tear on his body as he has, should be playing in this game. The last thing the Bengals can afford right now is one of their best players being hurt in what’s effectively a pick-up game.