Pro Bowl selections show Detroit Lions still have to earn league-wide respect

The Detroit Lions are getting positive attention lately, but the Pro Bowl selections show how much respect is still to be earned.

Heading into the unveiling of the 2023 Pro Bowl rosters the Detroit Lions had some worthy candidates, but it was easy to predict they wouldn’t have multiple players selected to the original NFC roster.

Ultimately, that came true. Center Frank Ragnow earned his second career Pro Bowl selection, while no other Lion earned a nod. However, nine Lions were selected as alternates and if we’ve learned anything over the years it’s that not everyone who is selected participates–beyond the teams who are in the Super Bowl.

Just last year, Lions left guard Jonah Jackson was an alternate and he wound up going to the game when someone bowed out.  It’s unclear how the change in format for this year, with skills competions and flag football, will shift the equation of players bowing out of the Pro Bowl.

Pro Bowl selections show how much respect Detroit Lions still have to earn

Here is the long list of Lions’ Pro Bowl alternates:

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown–1st alternate
OT Penei Sewelll–1st alternate
QB Jared Goff–3rd alternate
OG Jonah Jackson–4th alternate
RB Jamaal Williams–4th alternate
FB Jason Cabinda–4th alternate
PR Kalif Raymond–4th alternate
OT Taylor Decker–5th alternate
DE Aidan Hutchinson–5th alternate

As first alternates, St. Brown and Sewell have a pretty good chance to make a trip to Las Vegas for the Pro Bowl Games on Feb. 5. Goff may have a good chance too, depending on how the NFC quarterback picture turns out.

Beyond that, other Lions have a longshot chance to make the trip to Vegas. Decker tweeted about his standing as a fifth alternate, repeating an emoji that says it all.

It’s easy to say the Lions should have had more than one Pro Bowler. But in terms of league-wide acknowledgement and respect there’s still a ways to go before any “Same Old Lions” narrative goes away. The selections for this year’s Pro Bowl, with one-third of the voting from coaches and another third from players to match the one-third share from fan voting, confirmed it.