The Houston Texans will be well represented in Orlando with four players named to the 2025 Pro Bowl roster.
On offense, they will have Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, and Laremy Tunsil. Defensively, Derek Stingley Jr. will be representing them as a starter.
Noticeably absent from the list are two of their top defenders — Will Anderson Jr., and Danielle Hunter. While both were named as alternates, the fact that neither player was included on the roster after their huge campaigns is the latest example of the Pro Bowl being nothing more than a popularity contest.
Anderson, who was the 2023 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has 37 tackles and 11 sacks despite missing two full games and most of a third. He's the No. 11 defensive end in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus with an 85.1 grade. Hunter, who is the first alternate at defensive end, has 46 tackles and 12 sacks. He's 12th at the position according to PFF at 83.1.
To be fair, the Pro Bowl named just three defensive ends, and two are hard to argue against. Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals has an 86.7 grade on PFF and is No. 9 at the position. He has 41 tackles and is tied for the league lead with 14 sacks. The man he's tied with is also on the roster, Myles Garrett. The 2023 NFL Defensive Player of the Year is the second-highest-rated defensive end according to PFF with a shocking 92.7 grade.
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As good as they are, the third choice should have been Hunter or Anderson. Instead, it went to Maxx Crosby, who has a more recognizable name but hasn't been as good as either Houston defensive end this year.
Crosby has 45 tackles with 7.5 sacks and a 74.1 grade from PFF. None of that is bad but he's been nowhere near as impactful as Anderson or Hunter. But he's been on the team for the past three years, which gives him an edge — even though it shouldn't.
The NFL has tried a lot to get fans interested in the Pro Bowl again. They moved it to the week before the Super Bowl, started playing it in Florida, and added a skills competition. Perhaps they should also try letting the best players make it.