Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson Named Alternates to Pro Bowl

Pro Bowl selections were announced this evening. To the surprise of nobody, the Jets did not have a player named to the team. When you are 4-10, odds are your team does not have many players performing at a Pro Bowl level.

Defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Sheldon Richardson were named as alternates, however.

Pro Bowl alternates stand a pretty good chance of ultimately making the team. There will be plenty of players dropping out. Since the Pro Bowl is played the week before the Super Bowl, Pro Bowlers selected from teams playing in the big game will need to be replaced. There will also be injured players. A lot of players also just won’t want to go to the Pro Bowl. Last year, Chris Ivory and Nick Mangold were both first alternates. They ultimately played in the game.

Williams has shown real growth in his second season. This honor is richly deserved.

As for Richardson, this might be a reminder about how little the Pro Bowl really means. A lot of players make it because they have big names, not because their play merits a selection. I guess it couldn’t hurt his trade value, right? The Jets can say he almost made the Pro Bowl.