3 Bengals voted to Pro Bowl; 5 more are alternates

The first of what hopes to be many for Ja’Marr Chase.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, defensive end Trey Hendrickson and running back Joe Mixon have been voted to the AFC team for the 2022 NFL Pro Bowl game. Chase was voted as a starter.

“It’s a tremendous honor for our players to be recognized among the league’s best by their peers, coaches and fans,” said Bengals head coach Zac Taylor in a press release. “Ja’Marr, Trey and Joe have had terrific seasons, and their contributions both on and off the field have been critical for us all year long. Those three, as well as our players who were voted as alternates, are major reasons we are in position to achieve our goals this season.”

Chase, a rookie out of LSU, was Cincinnati’s first-round pick (fifth overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft. He currently leads the team in catches (61), receiving yards (1038) and receiving touchdowns(10). His receiving score total already is a Bengals rookie record, and his receptions and receiving yardage totals are both approaching team rookie records (67 receptions, 1057 yards). Chase also leads all NFL rookies in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

Chase is the sixth Bengals rookie ever to be voted to the Pro Bowl at any position. The others were quarterback Andy Dalton (2011), wide receiver A.J. Green (’11), wide receiver Cris Collinsworth (1981), wide receiver Isaac Curtis (’73), and cornerback Lemar Parrish (’70). Additionally, four Bengals rookies were in the American Football League All-Star Game — linebacker Bill Bergey in 1969, and center Bob Johnson, running back Paul Robinson and tight end Bob Trumpy in ’68.

Hendrickson, a fifth-year pro out of Florida Atlantic, is in his first Bengals season after joining the team in March as an unrestricted free agent. He leads the team and ranks fifth in the NFL with 13 sacks, which already are the third-most in team history. Hendrickson has recorded at least a half-sack in each of Cincinnati’s last 10 games — the longest active streak in the NFL, the longest streak in team history, and tied for the fifth-longest streak in NFL history.

Mixon, a fifth-year player by way of the Oklahoma Sooners, was originally a second-round pick of the Bengals in 2017. He currently ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,094), second in rushing attempts (262) and third in rushing scores (12). Mixon stands just three rushing touchdowns shy of tying Ickey Woods’ single-season team record of 15, set in 1988. He also has two receiving scores this year, which gives him 14 total, just three shy of wide receiver Carl Pickens’ team record of 17, set in 1995.

Additionally, five Bengals have been voted as alternates for the AFC squad:

• Quarterback Joe Burrow and long-snapper Clark Harris are both second alternates.
• Defensive end Sam Hubbard and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi are fourth alternates.
• Cornerback Mike Hilton is a fifth alternate.

Alternates are added to the game if voted player(s) in their position group are unable to participate. Selections from the two teams reaching the Super Bowl will be among those unable to play, as will players who are not cleared due to injury.

The 2022 Pro Bowl, which kicks off at 3 pm ET on Sunday, February 6th, will be televised live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes.