Not one Buccaneers player was selected to go to the Pro Bowl despite having multiple players in the middle of tremendous seasons, including Mike Evans.
The NFL announced the 2019 Pro Bowl selections on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shut out. Not a single member of the team was selected to play in the contest.
However, Mike Evans and Jason Pierre-Paul were named alternates. Evans will be a first alternate and Pierre-Paul will be the third alternate, so the Bucs will likely get some representation on January 27.
This was the first time since 2009 when the Bucs finished 3-13 where Tampa Bay didn’t have a Pro Bowl selection. The Buccaneers do have some star power. Gerald McCoy made six-straight Pro Bowls before this season, and Mike Evans has been one of the 10 best receivers in the league over the last few years.
Still, the voting didn’t favor the Bucs as another sub .500 finish puts them far away from the national spotlight.
Despite the struggles as a team, leaving Evans off of the list makes no sense. He is currently second in the league in yards (1,328) and third in the league in yards per reception (17.9). Despite a lower target share due to the talented weapons around him, Evans still topped his best season from a yardage standpoint and remains the Bucs number one wideout.
Pierre-Paul deserved some more votes as well. He became the first Buccaneers player since Simeon Rice to accumulate double-digit sacks in a season. His 11.5 sacks are one of the few bright spots in a tough year for the Tampa Bay defense.
Other Buccaneers were at least deserving of consideration as an alternate. Left guard Ali Marpet is a mauler along the offensive line.
McCoy and Lavonte David have played up to par for their career. Bucs fans should be up in arms that David didn’t get any recognition this season. Despite lining up without starters Kendell Beckwith and Kwon Alexander for most of the season, he has still made impact plays.