The Dallas Cowboys have announced that five players on the initial roster for the 2021 Pro Bowl: Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith and Bryan Anger.
The Cowboys said that for much of the past decade, the team's Pro Bowlers have mainly been offensive players. This year, however, they boast two defensive playmakers as Diggs and Parsons have both been named to their first Pro Bowl.
Diggs currently leads the league in interceptions, and his 10 picks on the season have helped the Cowboys to 31 total takeaways, the Cowboys said.
Parsons' 12 sacks this season has him ranked seventh in the league in that category despite playing far fewer snaps as a pass rusher than any of his counterparts.
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According to the Cowboys, Parsons is also the 12th rookie in Cowboys history to be named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, joining the likes of Mel Renfro, Bob Hayes, Emmitt Smith, Zack Martin and Ezekiel Elliott.
"It would be an extreme honor," Parsons said when asked about the possibility of being named to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday. "One of those things where it's not an expectation; it's something that you earn."
Anger is the first Cowboys punter named to the Pro Bowl since Mat McBriar, who accomplished the feat in 2006 and 2010. He is also the third Cowboys specialist selected to the Pro Bowl in the past decade after L.P. Ladouceur was selected as a long snapper in 2014 and Dan Bailey made it in 2015.
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After missing the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career last year, Zack Martin is back for a seventh appearance. Martin missed the season opener with COVID-19, but he has played every other game this season.
Smith is making his eighth appearance in the Pro Bowl after missing most of last season due to injury. The 11th-year veteran has missed four games in the second half of the season, but he has remained one of the most dominant tackles in the league when he has been available, the Cowboys said.
Of the five, Smith is the only Cowboy player who is not a starter in the Pro Bowl lineup.
According to the Cowboys, the hope is that none of them will be available to play in the all star game, as the team has loftier aspirations in mind.
Regardless, the Cowboys said the Pro Bowl selections are a well-earned honor for all five.
