Dolphins Pro Bowl Candidate Breakdowns

Examining how things played out for the Dolphins players who were worthy of Pro Bowl consideration

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) runs with the ball after a catch during the first half against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins announced their team awards Wednesday, but then were shut out when the NFL announced the Pro Bowl teams Thursday morning.

While nobody should have expected the Dolphins to come close to having the six Pro Bowl nods they got last year, the fact they were one of only four teams without a single player selected was a tad surprising.

The Pro Bowl rosters are selected through an equal vote from fans, coaches and players, the latter two voting last Friday. The NFL announced the final fan voting results earlier this week and the Dolphins had four players finish in the top in the NFL at their position — fullback Alec Ingold, tight end Jonnu Smith, kicker Jason Sanders, and special-teamer Siran Neal.

Let's revisit the best Dolphins candidates for the Pro Bowl, those extending beyond the fan voting results.

TE JONNU SMITH

Smith had a strong good case, but he was hurt by the fact the NFL selects only two players at his position and couldn't beat out the two who finished ahead of him in the fan voting, Travis Kelce and Brock Bowers.

Smith currently ranks second among AFC tight end in touchdowns with seven, behind only the Baltimore Ravens' Mark Andrews with 10; and he's third in catches with 76 behind Bowers' 108 and Kelce's 97.

We'll eventually learn the alternates, and the best guess here is that Smith will be the first alternate among AFC tight ends.

DT ZACH SIELER

Sieler's performance, which earned him team MVP honors, can be put up against any other defensive tackle in the AFC, but as we predicted reputation is going to complicate things for him.

The top 10 finishers in the fan voting among defensive tackles included four from the AFC: Cameron Heyward, Zach Allen, Chris Jones and Quinnen Williams. Jones and Williams were among the three defensive tackles selected to the AFC Pro Bowl team last year, and might get the nod again.

Sieler's production has been every bit as good or better as the other top defensive tackles, but there's no guarantee it's going to land him a Pro Bowl berth.

What was frusrating here is that Sieler was beaten out not by Allen or Williams, but rather by Nnamdi Madubuike, who's had a good year but not as good as Sieler's by any measure. But Madubuike made the Pro Bowl last year (under the name Justin Madubuike) and he probably was more at the forefront of players and coaches' minds than Sieler.

K JASON SANDERS

Sanders has been money for the Dolphins, pretty much all season but certainly in the second half of the season, but there's only one kicker selected to the Pro Bowl and there's stiff competition here.

Even Sanders acknowledged that during a Zoom media session this week.

Sanders trailed in the fan voting four other AFC kickers, and two of them — Chris Boswell of the Steelers and Cameron Dicker of the Chargers — have been just about as accurate as him.

This, unfortunately, has the look of a Pro Bowl-caliber season that doesn't produce a Pro Bowl invitation. In the end, that's how it played out, with Boswell deservedly getting the nod.

CB JALEN RAMSEY

Ramsey has made the Pro Bowl seven times in his career, the past four years, including last year when he played only 10 games after missing the start of the season because of a knee injury.

But while his reputation always will put him in the running, and he's done some really good things this season in run support and with his blitzing, we're thinking the streak ends this year.

Ramsey didn't finish in the top 10 in fan voting, and four of the AFC cornerbacks who did had more than Ramsey's two picks and also had been metrics, according to Pro Football Reference. Those four are Derek Stingley Jr. from the Houston Texans, Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos, Marlon Humphrey of the Baltimore Ravens and Donte Jackson from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Christian Gonzalez, who also has two picks and finished in the top 10 in the fan voting, could get one of the four spots at cornerback.

In the end, Stingley, Surtain and Humphrey indeed got selected, with Denzel Ward of the Cleveland Browns joining them. No major problem with that one.

FB ALEC INGOLD

Ingold was among the Dolphins' six Pro Bowl selections, and reputation goes a long way when it comes to fullbacks because there are no individual stats on which to rely.

The Dolphins' struggles running the ball this season, particularly in short-yardage situations, won't help Ingold's cause.

Carson Steele of the Chiefs led AFC fullbacks in fan voting, but it was Patrick Ricard of the Ravens who should be the favorite considering he was third in fan voting among AFC fullbacks, the Ravens lead the NFL in rushing, and Ricard had been the AFC Pro Bowl fullback four straight years before Ingold supplanted him last year.

Ricard went back to the Pro Bowl, which should have surprised no one.

LB JORDYN BROOKS

Brooks has been an absolute find for the Dolphins as a free agent this season, tied for eighth among all NFL players in tackles with 137, to go along with three sacks, five passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.

The problem for Brooks is that there are only two inside linebackers spots for the AFC, and two of the players ahead of him in the tackle count are Roquan Smith of the Ravens and Zaire Franklin of the Colts, and they both were in the top 10 in fan voting at the position.

And, as it worked out, Smith and Franklin indeed were the two AFC inside linebackers selected.

Another one in the top 10 is Daiyan Henley of the Chargers, who is tied with Brooks in tackles.

Brooks' performance is worthy of a Pro Bowl selection, but we're thinking he'll wind up being an alternate.

T TERRON ARMSTEAD

Even more so than fullback, offensive linemen make the Pro Bowl on reputation more than any other position.

This is where Armstead shouldn't be dismissed, even though his season is going to be remembered (especially by fans) for more injury problems.

The three AFC tackles on the Pro Bowl roster last year were Dion Dawkins, Laremy Tunsil and Armstead, and only Dawkins finished in the top 10 in AFC fan voting this year.

It should have surprised no one had the same three gotten the nod again, particularly because Armstead has been very good when he's been in the lineup, but one of the players we mentioned as a strong candidate eventually beat out Armstead for the third spot, and that was Rashawn Slater of the L.A. Chargers.