JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Two more Jaguars were added to the Pro Bowl roster for the AFC after Jacksonville's season ended Sunday with a heart-breaking loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.
Second-year DE Yannick Ngakoue and fourth-year OLB Telvin Smith were added to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster, the NFL announced Monday. It will be the first Pro Bowl for both players.
Ngakoue is replacing teammate DE Calais Campbell and Smith is replacing Texans OLB Jadeveon Clowney.
Six Jaguars were selected to the 2018 Pro Bowl, but five will be in attendance this week in Orlando after Campbell opted out.
The other Jaguars selected were CB A.J. Bouye, DT Malik Jackson and CB Jalen Ramsey
The Jaguars’ six Pro Bowl selections are their most in a season since 1999 (seven players selected) and their six defensive players selected to the Pro Bowl are the most in a season in franchise history.
Over the last two seasons, the Jaguars have added five Pro Bowl players to their roster, three via free agency (Jackson in 2016, Campbell and Bouye in 2017) and two via the draft (Ramsey in the first round of 2016 and Ngakoue in the third round of 2016).
Smith, who led the Jaguars with 102 tackles in the regular season and leads all players this postseason with 35 tackles, joins Paul Posluszny (2013) and Kevin Hardy (1999) as the only linebackers to be selected to the Pro Bowl in franchise history. Smith is one of four players to post at least 35 tackles in a single postseason since 2000, and the first since Navorro Bowman (35) in 2013.
Ngakoue totaled 13.0 sacks this year, including the regular season and postseason, and his seven forced fumbles were the most in the league this year. Ngakoue joins Calais Campbell (2017) and Tony Brackens (1999) as the only defensive ends to be named to the Pro Bowl in franchise history. Four of Ngakoue’s seven sack-fumbles this season were returned for TDs. Ngakoue scored his first career TD with a 67-yard fumble recovery in Week 17 at Tennessee. In 35 career games, he has totaled 21.0 sacks and 11 forced fumbles. His 11 forced fumbles are the most by a player 22 years old or younger since 2000.
Players for the game were determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counted one-third toward determining the 88 all-star players who were selected to the Pro Bowl.