Bucs Have 1 Pro Bowl Starter, 4 Alternates

The 2024 Pro Bowl votes are in, and one Bucs player was selected to the first team. Wide receiver Mike Evans made the team with one of his best seasons of the last five years. He currently ranks 11th in the NFC in receptions with 76, 7th in receiving yards with 1,233 and he leads the NFL in touchdown catches with 13.

Evans joins starters Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown as well as Puka Nacua of the L.A. Rams as the NFC’s representatives in the receiver room.

This is Evans’ 5th Pro Bowl selection. He previously was selected in 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2021. This means he has made a Pro Bowl in half of his professional seasons.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Among his Pro Bowl seasons, 2023 ranks third in catches, third in yards and first in touchdowns. He still has one more game to add to those totals. The Bucs all-time leader in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns extended his record of ten straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving.

This selection will help bolster Evans’ Hall of Fame credentials. For his career he now has 759 catches, 11,658 yards, 94 touchdowns. Those rank 45th, 33rd and t-12th all time in the NFL. When including his Super Bowl ring from the 2020 season and the 1,000-yard season streak Evans now appears to be a lock for the Hall.

Other Bucs Who Missed The Cut

Several other Bucs players who were deserving of consideration but didn’t make the first team were left tackle Tristan Wirfs, nose tackle Vita Vea and especially safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Winfield and Wirfs were both named first alternates while Vea was a fifth alternate. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was also named a third alternate.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr.and OLB Markees Watts – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Winfield is the most egregious snub for the Bucs. Jessie Bates III (Falcons), Budda Baker (Cardinals) and Julian Love (Seahawks) were all voted on to the roster. With the exception of Bates, Winfield’s 2023 resume is superior to that group across the board. With 117 combined tackles including five for a loss, five sacks, five forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 12 passes defensed and three interceptions, Winfield is not just having a Pro Bowl season. He is having a truly special season for a safety ever.

For comparison’s sake here is the resume of the three safeties selected above Winfield:

Bates: 128 tackles, three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, six interceptions, 11 passes defensed, one touchdown

Baker: 77 tackles, five for loss

Love: 116 tackles, one for a loss, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, four interceptions, seven passes defensed

Arizona’s Budda Baker made the Pro Bowl as an NFC safety ahead of Antoine Winfield.

Baker: 0 INT, 0 FF, 0 FR, 0 sacks
Winfield: 3 INT, 5 FF, 4 FR, 5 sacks

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) January 4, 2024

You do the math on how this adds up.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David – Photo by: USA Today

Bucs future Ring of Honor inductee Lavonte David was once again snubbed from even an alternate selection. In his illustrious 12-year career, David has only made one Pro Bowl (2015). This despite ranking 12th all time in tackles with 1,031, and 31st in forced fumbles with 28. The lack of Pro Bowl selections is likely to make it difficult for David to ever receive his due consideration for the Hall of Fame once he hangs up his pads for good.

Provided the Bucs do not make the Super Bowl many of the alternates and even David are likely additions to the roster as opting out has become normal for Pro Bowl selections in recent years. Many players drop out due to several factors. It used to be due to being on a Super Bowl team or injury, but more recently players have just opted to start their off seasons earlier.  This has led to the NFL having to dig deep to find enough alternates. This was punctuated last year when Tyler Huntley of the Ravens was an alternate despite only attempting 112 passes on the season.

The Pro Bowl is scheduled for February 4th in Orlando, FL.