When the inital Pro Bowl rosters came out, the Baltimore Ravens led the league with nine players selected, two more than any other team. Now, less than half of those players will actually participate in the event.
On Wednesday, just one day before the event actually begins, Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike both opted out of the Pro Bowl Games. They join quarterback Lamar Jackson, running back Derrick Henry and wide receiver Zay Flowers (knee) as Ravens not making the trip down to Orlando.
Smith, in a humorous twist, will be replaced by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen, his former partner in crime who spurned Baltimore for the Steel City last offseason.
Madubuike will be replaced by Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons.
Both players attended the Pro Bowl Games last year, and had strong seasons this year as well. Smith earned his third-straight first-team All-Pro selection after racking up a team-high 154 total tackles, which ranked fifth in the league. Madubuike came back down to Earth after a 13-sack season in 2023, but still had a solid 2024 campaign with 6.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and 17 quarterback hits.
The Ravens that are still participating are cornerback Marlon Humphrey, safety Kyle Hamilton, center Tyler Linderbaum, fullback Patrick Ricard, offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley and outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy. Stanley and Van Noy were replacement selections themselves.
More and more players seem to be opting out of the Pro Bowl Games each year, so the league may want to look into ways to get participation back up at the event.
