The NFL Pro Bowl may not be what it used to be, but it still means something to the players who are selected.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Voting closes for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games soon, and a few Arizona Cardinals have a chance to make It.
Cardinals strong safety Budda Baker, return specialist DeeJay Dallas and tight end Trey McBride all rank amongst the top five in their position on the home stretch to closing the voting polls.
Baker is the most seasoned of the trio when it comes to Pro Bowls, looking to be selected for the eighth time in his career. According to the Cardinals website as of Monday, Baker currently ranks third overall and No. 2 in the NFC in strong safety votes. Baltimore Raven strong safety Kyle Hamilton sits atop the list, and fellow NFC member, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch, holds the second place spot.
There is one strong safety opening for each conference, and Baker has the chance to jump Branch for the NFC’s.
He put a stamp on his Pro Bowl worthy season in the Cardinal’s 30-18 loss to the Seattle Seahawks two games ago, racking up a franchise record-breaking 18 tackles. His 142 total tackles are the second most in the NFL and 31 more than the Cardinals’ second man in tackles, linebacker Kyzir White. Nine of those tackles were tackles for loss and two were sacks.
Career-high performance from Budda ????#ProBowlVote +@Buddabaker3 pic.twitter.com/N0FOSBHsCX
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 9, 2024
McBride seems to be a lock to represent the Cardinals in Orlando, holding the second most votes for a tight end in the NFC.
Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray’s favorite target caught nine passes in the win over the New England Patriots Sunday, bringing his season total to 89 receptions. It is a new franchise record for receptions by a Cardinals tight end in a single-season, set by McBride the year before (81).
Complimentary football ???? @mcbtrey pic.twitter.com/3P79RSShh6
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 16, 2024
If voting ended today, the Cardinals’ 2024 Walter Payton Man of the Year would make the team, sitting at No. 2 in the NFC behind fellow NFC West tight end, San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle. He is fifth overall in voting, trailing behind Las Vegas Raiders’ Brock Bowers, Kittle, Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and Miami Dolphins’ Jonnu Smith respectively. His 89 catches are sixth most in the league and have resulted in 938 yards. Despite his surplus of receptions, he has yet to reach the end zone, which is major contributor to missing out on votes.
The newest Cardinal out of the three, Dallas, also finds himself in the top three spots of his position, but has the toughest road ahead to be selected.
Dallas trails Dallas Cowboys return specialist KaVontae Turpin and Carolina Panthers’ Raheem Blackshear in overall votes; however, they’re all fighting for the lone spot in the NFC. The Cardinal’s return man deserves some credit for ushering in a new era of NFL football.
In the fourth quarter of Arizona’s season-opener against the Buffalo Bills, Dallas ran back the first dynamic kickoff return touchdown in NFL history, breaking 96 yards to the house. He’s tallied 459 kick return yards on 15 attempts (30.6 yards per return) so far this year.
CARDINALS WITH THE FIRST DYNAMIC KICKOFF RETURN ????
96-YARD TD FOR DEEJAY DALLAS ????
(via @NFL)
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 8, 2024
Voting for the Pro Bowl concludes on Monday, Dec. 23. The games will take place on Feb. 2 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Is Budda Baker’s new Cardinals’ record enough to earn Pro Bowl votes?
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Reporter Jordyn Bennett covers the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State and other Phoenix area sports and sports related topics. You can follow him on his X account, @j_bennett_live.
