Seven Ravens named to the 2023 Pro Bowl team (2024)

The NFL’s fans, players and coaches have spoken: Seven Ravens are among the league’s best and will represent Baltimore on the AFC’s team in this year’s Pro Bowl game.

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, center Tyler Linderbaum, safety Kyle Hamilton, linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen, defensive lineman Justin Madubuike, and kicker Justin Tucker were all selected to play in the exhibition, which will take place on Feb. 4 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Fullback Patrick Ricard is an alternate.

Linderbaum, Hamilton, Madubuike and Queen are all first-time selections. Linderbaum is the first center in Ravens history to be selected.

The teams are selected through a combination of votes, with the results from the fans, players and coaches each holding a 33% weight. Only the Dallas Cowboys have as many players voted in, and the San Francisco 49ers had the most at nine.

Jackson, who was also named AFC Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, is an MVP front-runner. On Sunday, he became the second quarterback in the NFL to throw five touchdowns and finish with a perfect passer rating in two career games.

This season, he’s thrown for 3,678 yards and leads the team with 821 rushing yards (his rushing yards also rank ninth in the NFL). He has the AFC’s second-highest completion percentage (67.2%) and passer rating (102.7). This is Jackson’s third selection.

Jackson is elusive, but he’s also been able to have such a successful season because of the protection up front. Linderbaum is fourth among interior linemen in pass block win rate, which measures the rate linemen can sustain their blocks for 2 1/2 seconds or longer, according to ESPN. He’s also eighth among centers in run-blocking, according to PFF, which has helped the Ravens lead the league in rushing and the conference in fewest plays of zero or negative yards. Linderbaum shouted out his fellow offensive linemen in a statement.

“Without them, I wouldn’t be in this position for this accolade,” he said in a press release. “It’s just a team effort. I’m always a firm believer that if the team is winning, a lot of accolades are going to come with that. ... But to just be recognized by other people, it feels pretty good.”

In just his second professional season, Hamilton has become a key part of the Ravens’ defensive success. As the Ravens dealt with injuries to the secondary, Hamilton’s versatility has allowed the team place him in various roles in the defense. He won AFC Defensive Player of the Week after the Ravens’ win over the San Francisco 49ers despite missing half of the fourth quarter due to injury. He has the second-most interceptions, third-most tackles and fifth-most sacks on the team. Hamilton is the first player to have at least 10 tackles for loss and four interceptions in a season since 2015. Hamilton said it’s “surreal” that he’s been selected.

“It’s an honor, honestly, this early in my career to see success like this,” Hamilton said. “I feel like it’s a confidence booster. I feel like I have a lot more room to get better, and that’s a good thing. I feel like I haven’t reached my peak, and I’m still getting better each and every day, but being included in a group of people like all of the past Ravens Pro Bowlers, it’s an honor.”

Many of Smith’s contributions can’t be quantified. He’s been a leader in the locker room, on the sidelines and on the field. He wears the green dot, keeping a very complex defense running smoothly. But his numbers are impressive, too. He leads the Ravens with 158 tackles, which is fifth-most in the NFL. This is Smith’s third straight season with at least 150 tackles, tying the NFL’s longest active streak. He also has one interception, 1.5 sacks and five quarterback hits. This is his second selection.

Alongside Smith, Queen has patrolled the middle of the field all year, fighting through injury. He is one of just three AFC players to have at least 125 tackles this season. He also has one interception and 3.5 sacks. Drafted by the Ravens in 2020, Queen is the first “homegrown” Ravens linebacker to be selected to the Pro Bowl since 2018.

“This honor means a lot, just for the recognition and all the hard work that goes into it,” Queen said. “The way we play, I think everyone on our defense should have made it, honestly. The guys that didn’t make it, it’s a shoutout to them for how much time and effort and dedication that goes into us playing well as a unit.”

Madubuike became the first Ravens player with 12 or more sacks since Terrell Suggs, and his 13 sacks lead all interior defensive linemen. He recorded at least half a sack in 11 straight games, tying the longest streak in NFL history. For six straight games he recorded a full sack, breaking the Ravens’ record. Madubuike has 54 total tackles and 32 quarterback hits, and he is the Ravens’ first interior defensive lineman to be selected since 2018.

Tucker briefly slipped behind Younghoe Koo in career field goal percentage but took back the top spot (90.2%), where he has sat for years. On the season, Tucker has made 31 of 36 attempts (86.1%) and been perfect from inside 40 yards. He has made 50 out of 51 extra point attempts. Special teams coordinator Chris Horton said the one miss was not on Tucker but on the unit around him. Tucker has made at least 30 field goals in nine seasons. No other kicker has more than five. Tucker has been a Pro Bowler seven times in his 12-year career, tying Morten Andersen for most by a kicker.

Giana Han

giana.han@thebaltimorebanner.com

Giana Han is a Ravens beat reporter from Howard County.

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