Next man up. That’s what Raiders punter AJ Cole is to the 2023 Pro Bowl team. And he just heard his number called.
Sunday the Chiefs beat the Bengals in the AFC Championship team, thus punching their ticket to the Super Bowl in Arizona. That means all the players on their team who were named to the Pro Bowl will be replaced by alternates.
Chiefs punter Tommy Townsend is among those who made the Pro Bowl who will now be replaced. The first alternate is Raiders punter AJ Cole.
That means while Townsend is headed to Arizona, Cole will be representing his team’s home city in Las Vegas at this year’s Pro Bowl.
It’s Cole’s second consecutive Pro Bowl. He was an All Pro and Pro Bowler in his third NFL season after leading the league averaging 50 yards per punt. He was just a shade under that this year and is deserving of this honor.
Cole joins fellow Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, WR Davante Adams, and DE Maxx Crosby on the Pro Bowl squads in Las Vegas next weekend.
