When the NFL released the Pro Bowl rosters on Thursday, the omission of Detroit Lions star safety Kerby Joseph was glaring. After all, Joseph has arguably been the best safety in the league in 2024, so he deserved the nod.
Making Joseph’s snub more frustrating is the fact that it came as a result of the votes from players and coaches. We know that Joseph was the leading vote-getter among fans at free safety, so clearly he fell short with the other two groups, both of which also count as one-third of the vote.
When asked about the snub, Joseph took it all in stride. He admitted it was “crazy” to him, but added that he’s really worried about playing in the Super Bowl, which would prevent him from being in the Pro Bowl, anyway.
“I saw it and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,'” Joseph said, per Tim Twentyman of the team’s official website. “But I wasn’t really too much worried about the Pro Bowl. I ain’t trying to be the in the Pro Bowl. I’m trying to be in that Super Bowl.”
“I feel like All-Pro is the real recognition that people give,” Joseph added. “I’m not really worried about it. I’m focused on the Super Bowl. I wasn’t going to go the Pro Bowl anyways.”
Joseph is well-deserving of All-Pro honors with the season he’s having, and one can even make the argument that he can be in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation.
Joseph leads the NFL in interceptions, is tied for second in passes defensed among safeties, and he is tops in overall and coverage Pro Football Focus grades, and 13th in run defense. Joseph’s completion rate and passer rating allowed are second and seventh, respectively, among safeties who have played 80% of coverage snaps.
“He doesn’t need that as motivation, he knows that he’s a good player,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said of Joseph’s snub. “What he needs to know, he has nine interceptions, a ton of tackles, he’s made impact plays as we saw last week, and that was done on national TV. So, he doesn’t need that as motivation.”
The reason behind Joseph’s snub remains unclear. It’s hard to fathom that he was simply overlooked by his peers. Glenn inferred it has something to do with the dirty player label some have unfairly stuck him with, and it’s a logical explanation.
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