While the NFL’s new format for the Pro Bowl has changed the event itself, the accomplishment of being named to the NFC or AFC side is still a special moment for players.
This season, the Dallas Cowboys finished with seven Pro Bowlers; only the 49ers, with nine, had more.
Three more Cowboys were added to the roster as replacements this week.
Most of Dallas’s Pro Bowlers have received this honor before.
It is the third trip for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons, while future Hall of Famer Zack Martin got voted in for the ninth time.
However, Dallas saw four players, DaRon Bland, Jake Ferguson, Tyler Smith, and rookie Kicker Brandon Aubrey, named to their first-career Pro Bowl appearance.
These newcomers to the Pro Bowl had huge seasons without a ton of hype coming in; you can bet Dallas will have similar stories next year with guys bursting on the scene.
We know the names that are shoe-ins to make it here every year, but who are the guys that could make their first trip after the 2024 season comes to a close?
Here are the three Cowboys who could become first-time Pro Bowlers next season.
LB/S, Markquese Bell
In what was otherwise a dreadful season for the Cowboys’ linebacker room, second-year linebacker convert, Markquese Bell, came out of nowhere.
Bell was drafted as a safety and moved to linebacker this year to help with depth, and he took that opportunity and ran with it.
In his sophomore season, Bell totaled 94 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 passes defended, and forced two fumbles.
Bell only started eight of his seventeen games this year as well.
While he remains undersized to play in the front seven, his defensive back build helps him operate from sideline to sideline with the kind of speed you rarely see at the position.
We should expect Dallas to buff up the linebacker room this off-season, but Bell has earned his place as a guy you have to have on the field, especially if he bulks up some before next season.
When you project Bell’s 2023 production with more playing time and experience at linebacker, we might be looking at a 140+ tackle season with a few interceptions to boot.
If Bell does put up numbers like that in 2024, you can expect him to punch his ticket to his first career Pro Bowl.
Tackle, Terence Steele
This might be a controversial opinion, but it makes a lot of sense once we dig into the specifics of Terence Steele’s 2023 performance.
The Cowboys set Steele up for a “disappointing” season when they extended him to an $86M deal while recovering from a major knee injury.
That contract extension put out the assumption that Steele would be one of the league’s top tackles this season, and for a 26-year-old coming off a torn ACL and MCL, that is simply not possible.
Rather, the contract Steele received is about what the Cowboys believe he can and will become, which is a Pro Bowl-level right tackle.
We saw the flashes this year, especially in the run game, it was more so pass blocking against quick edge rushers that gave Steele fits.
All it might take for Steele to fully develop into the $86M player the Cowboys see him as is one healthy off-season of developing his ability, not rehabbing his knee.
If he were able to combine his run-blocking prowess with an increased ability in pass protection, we would be looking at a really good offensive tackle.
It is not an excuse to say Steele’s knee was the catalyst for his 2023 struggles. Especially for offensive linemen, it takes a while to get back from those injuries.
Fans should expect an improved, and potentially Pro Bowl season from Steele heading into his 5th year in Dallas.
DT, Osa Odighizuwa
If you have been paying attention, it feels like Osa Odighizuwa is on the cusp of a huge year.
In his three seasons in the NFL, Odighizuwa has improved his total tackles, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits every season.
https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1693718251723763811
The only stat Odighizuwa did not improve on this season was sacks.
Heading into year four, the Cowboys’ best defensive tackle is headed into the final season of his contract, and we all know how hard guys play before hitting free agency.
Dallas is also expecting a boost from Mazi Smith, who will be headed into his second year and could help take some attention of Odighizuwa.
This is all lining up to be a major breakout.
The five NFC defensive tackles in this year’s Pro Bowl averaged 8.5 tackles for loss. Odighizuwa had 9 this season.
All he needs to do to appear in his first Pro Bowl next year is increase the sack numbers.
If he does that and continues to set career highs in every other category, you can add his name to the list of Cowboys’ Pro Bowlers right now.