The rosters for the 2024 Pro Bowl Games were announced on Wednesday and only one New York Giants player made the list.For the second season in a row, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was honored as a member of the NFC squad.There were other Giants, however, who were under consideration that did not make the list.
Here are four players who just missed the honor this season.
Special teamer Nick McCloud
Nick McCloud was reportedly in the lead in the fan voting as the NFC’s top special teamer in a release by the league on Wednesday morning.
That lead didn’t hold up by the end of the day when the selections were announced.
Keep in mind, selections are determined ‘by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third.” So, while McCloud was the fan’s favorite, the other two-thirds of the electorate favored Detroit’s Jalen Reeves-Maybin.
To be fair, Reeves-Maybin was tied with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek for the NFL lead in special teams tackles (13) while McCloud had just six.
Punter Jamie Gillan
Jamie Gillan, the Giants’ everyman on special teams, handling not only the punting but acting as the holder on kicks and even kicking himself, was a strong candidate but lost out to Dallas’ Bryan Anger.
Anger is second in the NFL and tops in the NFC with a 51.4 average. Gillan averaged just 46.0 per attempt but here’s the catch…
Gillan punted an NFC-high 90 times to Anger’s 44 and Gillan kicks in the Meadowlands as opposed to the controlled environment Anger kicks in.
Gillan also had to deal with a revolving door of personnel due to injuries while the Cowboys were much less stressed by injuries.
Running back Saquon Barkley
Saquon Barkley was hoping this would be a statement season for him, and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t a Pro Bowl performance in the minds of the voters, either.
Barkley — a Pro Bowl selection in 2022 — missed four games with a high ankle sprain which tamped down his numbers. He has 916 yards rushing — 14th in the NFL — and only 39 receptions this season.
The NFC running backs this season are San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey, Philadelphia’s D’Andre Swift, and Los Angeles’ Kyren Williams, who have all had banner seasons.
But Barkley — for the time he played — was nearly as good. His 70.5 rushing yards per game ranks fifth, behind McCaffrey and Williams and ahead of Swift.
Linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux
Kayvon Thibodeaux really stepped up his game in his second season but it wasn’t enough to get him named to the Pro Bowl.
Thibs is fourth in the NFC in sacks (11.5) behind Danielle Hunter of Minnesota, Dallas’ Micah Parsons — both who were honored by Pro Bowl bids — and the Bears’ Montez Sweat.
The third outside linebacker named was Philadelphia’s Hassan Reddick, who has one-half sack less than Thibodeaux but has a reputation for having been named to the squad last season.
Thibodeaux is trending up, however, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets to the Pro Bowl.
Linebacker Bobby Okereke
Bobby Okereke may have started the season slow but it didn’t take him long to hit his stride and begin to separate himself as a top-tier talent.
Okereke’s 79.5 Pro Football Focus grade is good for 13th among all linebackers and his 141 tackles not only lead the Giants but are 10th-most in the league.
The do-it-all linebacker deserved the Pro Bowl nod but didn’t receive the love required.
Others who warranted consideration
- Long snapper Casey Kreiter (7th in fan voting)
- Left tackle Andrew Thomas
- Safety Xavier McKinney
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