3 Dark Horse Pro Bowl Candidates for Vikings
Pro Bowl voting is ongoing, and the Minnesota Vikings have seven players in the Top 10 by position.
The Pro Bowl is scheduled for February 4th, 2024, in Orlando, Florida, at Camping World Stadium.
3 Dark Horse Pro Bowl Candidates for Vikings
And while folks will debate which Vikings players deserve the nod, these three men can be considered dark horses for the honor.
They’re ranked in ascending order (No. 1 = most deserving dark horse).
3. Josh Metellus (S)
Folks within the Vikings organization touted Metellus all offseason as a stud — and they were right.
He and the first guy on this list have kept Lewis Cine off the field, as Minnesota’s safety room is just too crowded. That’s a good thing. Metellus has morphed into a true-blue defensive playmaker and not just some guy who plays well every now and then.
Pro Football Focus classifies the 25-year-old as the league’s 24th-best safety, quite the compliment for the otherwise anonymous Metellus. He’s on pace for 115 tackles this season and, with a strong finish in 2023, should be in the Pro Bowl conversation.
2. Brian O’Neill (RT)
Through 12 games, PFF calls O’Neill the league’s 22nd-best offensive tackle, which would make him Top 11 at his craft because two OTs start for each team.
O’Neill is also durable, playing 100% of the Vikings’ offensive snaps. And that’s coming off a partially torn Achilles suffered late last season. Folks take for granted that O’Neill recovered so quickly from a nasty injury.
The 28-year-old earned one Pro Bowl nod in 2021, and it’s time for another. Several OTs play football on Sundays, and perhaps O’Neill lacks the big-name notoriety to secure an annual Pro Bowl trip. Yet, he’s one of the Vikings’ best players, one of the sport’s top OTs, and deserves consideration accordingly.
1. Camryn Bynum (S)
PFF classified this dude as the fourth-best safety in all the land. Bynum produced an impressive rookie campaign in 2021, appeared to regress in Ed Donatell’s scheme as a sophomore, and is now a dark horse Pro Bowl contender inside Brian Flores’ defense.
He’s also a big-play merchant, accountable for two crucial picks versus the San Francisco 49ers in October — a win that turned the Vikings’ year around. The California alumnus may not be known around the league as of yet, but that’s what the Pro Bowl is for: to acknowledge and prop up performers’ resumes.
Bynum is on pace for 140 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a 72.8 passer-rating-against. Get the man to Orlando.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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