Hudson, Brown picked for Pro Bowl
Waller, Jacobs snubbed, named as alternates
ALAMEDA >> Center Rodney Hudson and right tackle Trent Brown are the Raiders’ representatives on the AFC Pro Bowl roster Tuesday.
It was the third selection for Hudson, who was also named in 2016 and 2017. It was the first selection for Brown, and at least a mild surprise given that he’s only played in 11 of 14 games because of injury.
Noticeable omissions were tight end Darren Waller and running back Josh Jacobs, who were named as alternates along with guard Richie Incognito and fullback Alec Ingold.
Pro Bowl rosters are determined with one third of the votes coming from fans, onethird players and one-third coaches.
The Pro Bowl will be played on Jan. 26 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Hudson has not given up a sack or a hit in 432 pass-blocking snaps, and is graded as the NFL’s No. 1 center in pass-blocking situations by Pro Football Focus. Brown has given up one in 326 snaps. The Raiders have given up 24 sacks this season through 14 games, tied for fifth fewest in the NFL, and are one of five teams to have zero sack games four different times.
Signed by general manager Reggie McKenzie in 2015 after four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Raiders tacked a threeyear extension worth $33.75 mil
lion on Hudson’s deal last August making Hudson the NFL’s highest paid center.
Brown, who joined the Raiders as a free agent after playing left tackle for the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots last season, signed a four-year contract worth $66 million with more than $36 million guaranteed. He was dominant early on, but has since been slowed by ankle and pectoral injuries. The pectoral issue may keep Brown out for the last two games of the season and it’s unlikely he’d play in the Pro Bowl.
Waller and Jacobs were beaten out by a pair of Baltimore Ravens despite having superior stats.
Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs was the starting tight end and deservedly so with 1,131 yards and four touchdowns. Waller was second in the AFC among tight ends with 80 receptions and 1,001 yards, but the second tight end spot went to Mark Andrews of Baltimore, who has 58 receptions for 759 yards and eight touchdowns on a run-heavy team.
Jacobs is the third leading rusher in the AFC behind Cleveland’s Nick Chubb and Tennessee’s Derrick Henry, who both were named to the team. With 1,150 yards, Jacobs was beaten out by another former Alabama back in Mark Ingram, who has 963 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Ravens.
If Baltimore plays in the Super Bowl, Waller and Jacobs would be candidates as replacements. Jacobs, however, told reporters Friday he’d be taking time off following the season to let a shoulder fracture heal.
Incognito did not play last season and spent the first two games of this season under suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. A four-time Pro Bowler, Incognito first made it in 2012 with Miami and then from 2015 through 2017 with the Buffalo Bills.
Signed to a one-year “prove it” deal by the Raiders, Incognito has proven it to the point where coach Jon Gruden has said he wants the 36-year-old guard to play “three or four” more years.
Ingold, an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin, is one of the few true fullbacks in a league in which some teams don’t even use the position. He has been a solid blocker, a reliable short-yardage runner and has also played on special teams.