Eagles Saquon Barkley Has Most Fan Votes For Pro Bowl, But There's A Bigger Surprise

Philadelphia Eagles running back took over the fan voting lead from Lamar Jackson with one week remaining in voting, but the Eagles have a leader at one position that may surprise.

Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images / Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

There’s a new leader in the clubhouse when it comes to fan voting for the Pro Bowl, and he goes by the name Saquon Barkley.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson led all players for the first two weeks that voting was made public. On Monday, on the third release of votes, Barkley overtook him with one week remaining in fan voting.

The Eagles running back has recorded 108,016 votes. Jackson has 106,999. Rounding out the top five are Bills quarterback Josh Allen (101,703), Ravens running back Derrick Henry (99,346), and Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (94,940).

Perhaps one of the bigger surprises is that Zack Baun leads all NFC vote-getters at the inside linebacker position. Not because Baun doesn’t deserve it, but because the first-year Eagles player has come a long way since being mostly a special team player with the Saints for four seasons before signing a one-year deal with Philly in the offseason. The most defensive snaps he got with New Orleans was last year when he reached 301, but that was just 27 percent of the Saints’ snaps.

Baun has thrived under Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He leads the Eagles in tackles with 133, including 10 for loss. He has 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception through 14 games this season.

He and the Eagles defense have come on strong during a franchise-record 10-game winning streak, climbing to the top of the rankings in total defense and points allowed per game (15). The defense hasn’t allowed more than 21 points in five straight games.

The Eagles held the Steelers to just 163 total yards in their 27-13 win on Sunday, the lowest offensive output by Pittsburgh since 2010 when Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon combined to play quarterback.

“We were doing good job disguising coverages, holding the safety so they didn’t know what we were in or what we were doing,” said Baun. “(Russell Wilson) is a veteran guy and is looking for whatever tips he can. I saw he tried to ID me a couple times to try to get the coverage. I think we did a great job disguising.”

As for Barkley, he has recorded nine games of 100-plus rushing yards and has already set the Eagles single-season rushing record, which is currently sitting at 1,688 and climbing, and single-game rushing record of 255 yards. He is closing in on 2,000 yards from scrimmage, checking in with 1,964.

The Lions lead all clubs in total votes received, followed by the Ravens, Steelers, Vikings, and Eagles.

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