The Associated Press released the 2023 All-Pro selections on Friday. Here are five interesting tidbits about this year’s list:
Future Hall of Fame center makes history: Philadelphia Eagles veteran center Jason Kelce has all but assured his spot in Canton, but he added another historic mark to his resume, just in case. The 13-year veteran earned first-team All-Pro honors for the third consecutive year and sixth time overall. According to the Eagles, Kelce became the first center since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970 to earn six first-team All-Pro nods and win a Super Bowl (LI).
New York Jets’ Sauce Gardner sets All-Pro record: Already one of the premier shutdown defensive backs in the NFL, Gardner is now the first cornerback ever to be a first-team All-Pro in each of their first two seasons in the league. He’s also only the third CB named to the first team after recording zero interceptions, joining Darrelle Revis and Nnamdi Asomugha in 2010, per Football Perspective.
Dallas Cowboys lead the way: No team in the NFL had more All-Pro players than the Cowboys with nine. The list included four first-teamers: wideout CeeDee Lamb (1st), cornerback DaRon Bland (1st), guard Zack Martin (7th), and kicker Brandon Aubrey (1st). According to Cowboys host and reporter Kyle Youmans, it’s the second most in franchise history, with only the 1969 and 2016 Cowboys having more (5).
All-Pro redemption for three Pro Bowl snubs: New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield and Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown were arguably the three biggest Pro Bowl roster snubs. However, after being named to the All-Pro first team, they finally received the recognition they deserved. Overall, 12 All-Pro players (five first-teamers) on this year’s list failed to make the Pro Bowl cut.
Fullbacks make a comeback: The position has made a resurgence in recent years, so much so that it’s back among the position slots for All-Pro selections. This year, San Francisco 49ers Kyle Juszczyk (first-team) and Baltimore Ravens Patrick Ricard (second-team) received the nod. It’s the most FBs selected since 2016 (2).