In addition, Corey Bojorquez, Ethan Pocic, Grant Delpit, Dustin Hopkins, Wyatt Teller, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah have all been named as alternates. They will be selected if players ahead of them opt out for injury or the Super Bowl.

Garrett has been selected to his fifth Pro Bowl, missing only two seasons since entering the league in 2017. Garrett has 14 sacks and four forced fumbles on the season and is widely considered to be the favorite for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

 He is tied with DT/DE Bob Gain (five) and NT Michael Dean Perry (five) for the most Pro Bowl selections by a Browns defensive player. Garrett is the only player in the NFL to record at least 14 sacks in each of the past three seasons (2021-23) and the only player to record at least 10 sacks in each of the past six seasons (2018-23).

Bitonio’s selection is his sixth, he has been selected to the Pro Bowl every year since 2018. Bitonio has had a strong season for the Browns in 2023, anchoring an offensive line that has seen almost every starter sidelined with injury at one point or another.

 He is tied for the fourth-most selections in team history, trailing on Pro Football Hall of Famers T Joe Thomas (10), RB Jim Brown (9) and T/K Lou Groza (9). Bitonio is the first Browns guard to be named to six consecutive Pro Bowls since Pro Football Hall of Famer Gene Hickerson made six straight (1966-71).

David Njoku received his first Pro Bowl nod after a season that has been the strongest in his career to date. In 2023, Njoku has set career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He has also emerged as one of the most vocal leaders of the offense and a fan favorite.

Njoku’s numbers are the fifth-most by a Browns tight end in a season and tied for the eighth-most by any Browns player in team history. He also leads the team with a career-high six receiving touchdowns. He is the first Browns tight end to make a Pro Bowl since Gary Barnidge in 2014.

Amari Cooper makes his fifth trip to the Pro Bowl. This is Cooper’s first time making the roster as a member of the Cleveland Browns. He previously made it as a member of the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys. Cooper has 72 receptions for 1250 yards and five touchdowns.

In addition to his 1,160 receiving yards last season, Cooper is the first Browns player to record back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons. In Week 16, he set a franchise single-game record with 265 receiving yards. He is the first Browns wide receiver to make a Pro Bowl since Jarvis Landry in 2019.

This is Denzel Ward’s third Pro Bowl, after making it his rookie season and again in 2021. Ward has missed 3 games for the Browns this season but his selection is representative of the outstanding play of the Browns defensive secondary throughout the 2023 season. He joins Frank Minnifield (four) and Hanford Dixon (three) as the only Browns corners to make at least three trips to the Pro Bowl.

Ward has recorded two interceptions and 11 passes defensed while helping the Browns defense lead the NFL in several categories including total defense (266.6 yards per game) and passing defense (165.9 yards per game).

The NFL moved away from a traditional football game last year, replacing the contest with the Pro Bowl Games. In a press release, the NFL explained what contests will be involved in the games this year.

The NFL announced the new and returning skills competitions that Pro Bowl players from the AFC and NFC will compete in during the 2024 Pro Bowl Games, including dodgeball, tug-of-war, precision passing, best catch, closest to the pin, kick tac toe, Madden head-to-head, Gridiron Gauntlet, and more.

Taking place over two days in Orlando, the Pro Bowl Skills Show will air live on Thursday, Feb. 1, on ESPN from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET from Nicholson Fieldhouse at the University of Central Florida, and continue Sunday, Feb. 4, culminating in an epic flag football game.

Wednesday Injury Report: 9 Browns DNP, Will Bengals Play Their Studs?

Wednesday’s injury report for the Cleveland Browns listed 17 players and while the focus is on how many players the Browns intend to sit on Sunday, there is a question as to whether the Cincinnati Bengals will play their stars.

Ahead of their game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Cleveland Browns took the practice field with a handful of surprises. Both wide receiver Elijah Moore (concussion) and edge Ogbonnia Okoronkwo (pectoral) returned to the practice field, albeit in a limited manner. 17 players on the injury report for the Browns, the potential to be able to sit players this week in preparation for the postseason should prove beneficial.

Moore is still in the concussion protocol, but this is meaningful progress toward him getting cleared. It seems unlikely the Browns will try to have him play on Sunday, but getting him back for the postseason would be positive news.

The team has to evaluate what Okoronkwo can do given the torn pec he suffered, but he’s been working hard to try to be back for this week in case the Browns needed to win this game for the sake of either making the postseason or to improve their seeding.

He’s another player where it’s more likely he will be held out of Sunday’s game, not wanting to waste any potential reps he might be able to provide in an exhibition game.

Quarterback Joe Flacco, defensive end Myles Garrett and corner Denzel Ward all had a full practice. Even though none of them are expected to see the field Sunday, the focus is on keeping them mentally and physically sharp for the postseason. It also sends a message to everyone else on the team about how important it is to be focused on the task at hand.

Corner Greg Newsome (knee), center Ethan Pocic (shoulder, stinger), guard Joel Bitonio (oblique, knee) linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., kicker Dustin Hopkins (hamstring), running back Kareem Hunt (groin) and corner Kike Ford (calf) were all held out of practice due to injury concerns. Wide receiver Amari Cooper (heel) and tight end David Njoku (knee) were held out for rest, though apparently Njoku was also ill.

After releasing punter Matt Haack from the practice squad, Corey Bojorquez returned to practice, but he was limited with a quad injury.

The Bengals have far fewer players on their injury report. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was out with a hamstring while Jamarr Chase was limited with a shoulder injury. Corners Chidobe Awuzie (shoulder) and Jalen Davis (groin) were both limited.

Eliminated from the playoffs, the Bengals would like to finish the season with a win. They can finish with a winning record and avoid going winless in the AFC North, but they may not push it for some of their injured players. It’s possible they could opt to hold out their top receivers in this game rather than allow him to be put at risk in a game that has diminished meaning.