Dolphins Safety Reshad Jones Left Off Pro Bowl Guest List
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DAVIE (CBSMiami) – Throughout the Miami Dolphins season that has seemingly gotten worse with each passing week, there has been one consistent bright spot for fans to count on.
Safety Reshad Jones has blossomed into one of the top players in the NFL at his position and is having his best season yet as a pro.
After 14 games, Jones leads Miami in tackles with 124 and in interceptions with 5, both representing career highs for the 6th year Dolphin.
Two of those interceptions have been returned for touchdowns, doubling his career total from the first five years in the league.
He also has two sacks and nine passes defended, both of which match his career highs set all the way back in 2011 and 2012, respectively.
As the season has progressed it seemed more and more likely that Jones would receive his first Pro Bowl selection.
He even took to social media to lobby for his Pro Bowl bid.
Unfortunately for Jones, when the 2016 Pro Bowl players were named on Tuesday night, his name was left off the list.
Six safeties will suit up for the NFL's annual all-star game that returns to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on January 31st.
They are Tyrann Mathieu (Cardinals), Reggie Nelson (Bengals), Eric Berry (Chiefs), Charles Woodson (Raiders), Kam Chancellor (Seahawks) and Earl Thomas (Seahawks).
Jones can boast something that none of those aforementioned players can; he's the only player in the NFL with at least five interceptions and more than 100 tackles.
Of the six safeties that were selected, only Woodson is on a team that isn't currently holding a playoff spot.
That leads some to believe that if Jones was on a team that got a bit more positive attention, perhaps more respect, he would have been on the exclusive list.
"We can't be going off play and production, because my numbers are double those guys' numbers," said Jones. "It was about social media and just being popular, just who has the biggest name."
Instead, Jones will have to live with being selected as an alternate for the game, though when asked on Wednesday he said that he wasn't sure if he would play should he end up getting a last minute invite.
The only Dolphins player who was chosen to play in the Pro Bowl was center Mike Pouncey, who has now made the team for a third consecutive year.
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