The Dallas Cowboys season ended with disappointment once again, but being able to play in the Pro Bowl still has value for some players.
The NFL announced that defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, tight end Jake Ferguson, and guard Tyler Smith have been added to the NFC roster.
Lawrence replaces Nick Bosa, while Ferguson steps in for George Kittle because both are playing in the Super Bowl.
Smith is taking the place of Zack Martin because he opted not to participate this week due to personal reasons.
Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson, G Tyler Smith and DE DeMarcus Lawrence have been added to the Pro Bowl as replacements for SF TE George Kittle and DE Nick Bosa and Cowboys G Zack Martin. It's the first Pro Bowl for Ferguson and Smith and the fourth for Lawrence.
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) January 30, 2024
Only the 49ers had more players selected to the Pro Bowl than the Cowboys.
They did things right and are playing in the Super Bowl, unlike Dallas.
The funny thing is, they have a longer Super Bowl drought than the Cowboys.
Tyler Smith
Smith was added as an alternate, yet made second-team All-Pro, weird.
This will be the first Pro Bowl for Smith. The 22-year-old made 14 starts at left Gaurd during the regular season.
Cowboys found another great young offensive lineman, let’s hope he stays on this course.
The Cowboys will now have 9 players at the Pro Bowl as DE DeMarcus Lawrence, LG Tyler Smith and TE Jake Ferguson were added to roster as replacements, as expected. RG Zack Martin has opted out of the Pro Bowl for personal reasons.
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) January 30, 2024
Jake Ferguson
Ferguson was an awesome surprise this year. He was Prescott’s No. 2 target behind Lamb.
He had 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games. He is the first Cowboys tight end named to the Pro Bowl since Jason Witten in 2017.
I was worried when Dalton Schultz signed with the Texans, but Ferg made a solid impact this season.
DeMarcus Lawrence
Lawrence is making his second straight appearance in the Pro Bowl, and his fourth overall.
He had 10 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits, and four sacks in 17 starts.
I was more impressed with his run-stopping ability this season. That has been the biggest weakness of the Cowboy’s defense for the last couple of seasons.
They will need him to do it again next season with the help of others.
Great play by DeMarcus Lawrence to force the INT pic.twitter.com/11le71KEK5
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 7, 2024
Dak Prescott
It was also reported today that due to the birth of his baby soon, Dak Prescott decided to opt out of the Pro Bowl.
Baker Mayfield will replace Prescott, who was originally an alternate.
Not a bad idea for Prescott to sit this out anyway. I am sure he would be asked hundreds of questions about the loss in the playoffs and his future.
Dak Prescott was excused due to the pending birth of his daughter, per the NFL https://t.co/QpNdk6VZoC
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) January 30, 2024
Prescott will more than likely be signed to an extension at some point in the next few months.
The Pro Bowl is not the end goal for all these players, but it is still nice to see hard work pay off.
Dallas has a lot to fix over the next several months, and it starts with finding a way to keep the most important players under their belt.
Maybe cutting, trading, signing a few others, and then worrying about the draft in April.
They traded for Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore in March of last season. I am not expecting another trade like this, but you never know.
It really stinks that I am writing a Pro Bowl post and not something about how the Cowboys are still playing. I keep telling myself maybe next year, but the result is always the same.
