Lions S Kerby Joseph got snubbed from the Pro Bowl due to players like Matthew Stafford and it's the NFL's fault

Why Kerby Joseph got snubbed from the Pro Bowl

It's wild to think Joseph didn't get a Pro Bowl spot and was just a second alternate. He leads the National Football League this season with nine interceptions. He is also Pro Football Focus' number one safety in coverage, with a staggering 91.5 grade on the season.

His play has been stellar this season, including on Monday night when his two interceptions of quarterback Brock Purdy helped put the game away for the Lions. So, why did he not make the Pro Bowl?

It likely boils down to one thing: an unfair perception among his peers.

Let's start here. Joseph posted this on his Instagram story on Thursday afternoon (it is now deleted).

Posting something like that about another player that isn't on your team is wild, but it the backstory does give it some credence.

At the end of the 2023 season, low hits by Joseph tore the ACLs of two tight ends: Minnesota Vikings' T.J. Hockenson in week 16 and Los Angeles Rams' Tyler Higbee in the Wild Card game. Immediately after Joseph hit Higbee, Stafford called him out using profanity and calling him "dirty as ****."

Here's the crazy thing. Don't tell the Vikings and Rams' fan bases, but those low hits aren't even dirty. They are what the NFL has wanted players to do to avoid hitting receivers high to avoid concussions. Anytime you ask players to change how they play, there will always be unintended consequences. 

Joseph is playing the exact way the NFL wants him to. However, it hasn't won over his peers. Despite being number one in fan voting, Joseph didn't score well outside of that, as the voting process is as follows:

• 1/3 fan vote
• 1/3 player vote
• 1/3 coach vote

Posts like the one above don't exactly scream someone who is very popular with his peers. Because he was number one in fan voting, the other two groups didn't think nearly enough of his play this season, and some of it could have been due to those low hits that caused injuries.

There is precedent for Kerby Joseph missing the Pro Bowl

Oddly enough, there is a direct comparison to Joseph's season in the modern-day game. Back in 2003, the Vikings had two safeties combined for 17 interceptions. Corey Chavous intercepted eight and made the Pro Bowl while Brian Russell intercepted nine and didn't. 

It was a big snub at the time, as Russell led the league in interceptions, just like Joseph did this year. Their seasons are very comparable.

Should Joseph have made the Pro Bowl? He absolutely has a case to make it. Ultimately, the safety position was very deep in the NFC this season with the three players making it is:

• Green Bay Packers' Xavier McKinney
• Arizona Cardinal's Budda Baker
• Detroit Lions' Brian Branch

It's tough when you have only three safety spots available, but Joseph's play was certainly worthy of a spot on the Pro Bowl Games roster.