Ravens Pro Bowler Snubbed by NFL Top 100

It's hard to determine which is the more egregious offense: the fact that a First Team All Pro selection like Humphrey, who has been voted to each of the last three Pro Bowls, barely made the list or that Linderbaum was voted to each of the last two all-star rosters was left off entirely.

With Frank Ragnow of the Detroit Lions officially retired this offseason after Jason Kelce hung up his cleats last offseason, Humphrey and Linderbaum are widely viewed as the two best centers in the league with Cam Jurgens of the Super Bowl champion of the Philadelphia Eagles who was also snubbed rounding out the trio of the new guard.

If anything, Humphrey's ranking and Linderbaum's snub is an indictment of the respect, or rather lack thereof, that their position commands in the eyes of their peers around the league who vote on the list. Interior offensive linemen in general don't get the recognition they deserve by nature of the fact that most of their work goes unseen and underappreciated outside of the film junkies, true students of the game occasional shoutout by a broadcaster for a huge pancake block.

While it's hard to argue putting Linderbaum on the list instead of or above Humphrey, a much more compelling case can be made that he warranted inclusion of some of the other seven players who have already been revealed. Three of the most debatable inclusions he could've gotten in over are Arizona Cardinals' edge rusher Josh Sweat at No. 95, Tampa Bay Buccaneers' inside linebacker Lavonte David at No. 96 and Minnesota Vikings' running back Aaron Jones at No. 98.

David has been perennially underrated throughout his career, but he and his unit got steamrolled for 244 yards on the ground by Linderbaum and the Ravens' top-ranked rushing attack in Week 7 last year.

Sweat was a key part in the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl-winning pass rush but didn't each double-digit sacks in the regular season with a team-leading 8 and added another 2.5 in the playoffs. Jones had a solid bounce-back campaign in his first season in purple and yellow after being with the Green Bay Packers for the seven years of his career but he only eclipsed 100 scrimmage yards seven times, 100-plus rushing yards just twice and his production tapered off down the stretch.

Meanwhile, Linderbaum was the anchor in the middle of the league's best offense, according to several mainstream and advanced metrics, and he helped first-time starter Daniel Faalele transition from a liability to a Pro Bowl alternate.

The fourth-year pro is set to join Humphrey on the list that matters the most as one of the highest-paid players at their position. Since the Ravens declined to exercise the 2022 first-rounder's fifth-year contract option, which means he'd be an unrestricted free agent next offseason if he isn't extended or tagged before then.