Giants' Dexter Lawrence, Jets' Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams named to Pro Bowl
From left: Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
While their teams' performances have been disappointing, the standout personal performances of the Giants' Dexter Lawrence and the Jets' Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams were rewarded Wednesday night, with all three players being named to the Pro Bowl for a second consecutive season.
Lawrence, among the best defensive players in the league, is the Giants' lone Pro Bowl selection, tallying 4.5 sacks this season after racking up 7.5 a year ago.
He missed the first game in his career because of injury this season, against the Patriots before the Giants' bye week.
“I always want to be available,” Lawrence said recently. “I always want to be the one to help my team get a chance to win."
With this honor, Lawrence joins elite company among Giants.
In his fifth season, he is the first Giants defensive lineman to receive the honor in consecutive seasons since defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011-12. He is also the Giants' and the team’s first interior lineman to be selected to multiple Pro Bowls since tackle Arnie Weinmeister went to four in a row from 1950-53.
The most recent Giants player to be selected to successive Pro Bowls is safety Landon Collins from 2016-18.
Last year, Lawrence was the Giants’ first Pro Bowl interior lineman since nose tackle Erik Howard in 1990.
Running back Saquon Barkley, a second-time Pro Bowler in 2022, was named a second alternate. Second-year edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux is a third alternate.
Lawrence was voted a team captain for the second consecutive season. In 15 games, he has tallied a team-high 19 quarterback hits, four more than Thibodeaux. His 4.5 sacks are second on the Giants to Thibodeau, who has 11.5. Lawrence has totaled 52 tackles (32 solo), seven tackles for lost yardage, and two passes defensed.
Barkley is 14th in the NFL with 916 rushing yards, despite missing three early-season games with a sprained ankle. He leads the Giants in both rushing and receiving touchdowns with four each.
In addition to his sacks, Thibodeaux is tied with linebacker Micah McFadden for the team lead with 12 tackles for loss. He has 47 tackles (23 solo), three passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
The Jets tandem of Williams and Gardner will again be Pro Bowl teammates as well.
Williams has established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. His sack totals are down from last year, but he’s a dominant player in defending the run and pass.
The third overall pick in 2019, Williams has 3.5 sacks, but he leads the Jets with 18 quarterback hits, is third in tackles for loss (nine) and sixth in total tackles (59).
Williams is the first Jets’ defensive lineman to make back-to-back Pro Bowls since John Abraham in 2001 and 2002.
Gardner, in just his second NFL season, has quickly become a cornerback back that teams and quarterbacks don’t want to target.
He’s only been thrown at 54 times in 15 games and has allowed 31 catches, according to Pro Football Reference. The passer rating against Gardner is 81.7. He’s been credited with 10 passes defensed and is still looking for his first interception of the season.
Picked fourth by the Jets in 2022, Gardner is one of the highest-graded corners by Pro Football Focus. He has an overall defensive grade of 86.7 (third among corners) and is second with a 90.5 coverage grade.
Six Jets were named Pro Bowl alternates at their positions.
Kicker Greg Zuerlein and punter Thomas Morstead are first alternates. Linebacker C.J. Mosley, a Pro Bowler last year and the Jets' leading tackler (145), is a third alternate.
Linebacker Quincy Williams, who said the goal was to make the Pro Bowl with his brother, is a fifth alternate. Williams is having a career-year. He leads the Jets with 15 tackles for loss, is tied with Gardner with 10 passes defensed and is second behind Mosley with 131 tackles.
Running back Breece Hall, who has 1,395 scrimmage yards, is a fifth alternate. Outside linebacker Jermaine Johnson is also a fifth alternate.
Kimberly Jones covers the Giants for Newsday, a beat she first worked in the early 2000s before joining the YES Network to cover the Yankees. She worked for the NFL Network for more than a decade and has been heard semi-regularly on WFAN.
