EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Dexter Lawrence was honored to be named to the Pro Bowl this season, but he was a little surprised that one Giants teammate, in particular, wasn’t going with him to Las Vegas. Lawrence, along with Saquon Barkley were both named to the Pro Bowl roster on Wednesday night, however. tackle Andrew Thomas was conspicuously absent.
Lawrence is more than deserving considering the season that he has been having. He has a team and career-high 6.5 sacks this season, along with 24 quarterback hits and the most tackles among defensive linemen on the Giants roster.
“It’s an honor for sure,” Lawrence said. “You know, the respect you earn around the league and then the support from the fans. Things like that. It’s all a big honor, for sure.”
Still, it was Thomas who had been the biggest surprise not to be on the Pro Bowl roster considering the season that he has had for the Giants. ESPN had Thomas among their Top 25 Under 25 list a few weeks back and Pro Football Focus ranks Thomas 4th among tackles in the NFL.
Last week, Thomas was a part of the reason why the Commanders had such a hard time getting to quarterback Daniel Jones in a crucial win over Washington.
“Yeah, that is a surprise honestly,” Lawrence said. “It happens some years, you know. I feel like it takes a year to get your name out there. And then your name comes around more often the next year after that. It’s just about consistency and I still think he’s one of the best tackles in the league. Just continue to stay consistent and to keep getting better.”
Giants head coach Brian Daboll echoed a similar sentiment.
“Unfortunately, everybody can’t make it. But Andrew’s a good player for us. I’m glad he’s on our team, and I look forward to seeing him play here the rest of the way,” Daboll said before Thursday’s practice.
Thomas told reporters that he felt that he had played well enough this year to earn a Pro Bowl nod, but that his focus was on helping his team win. Offensive tackle is also a position that can often get overlooked unless a player makes a massive mistake.
Something that Thomas was well aware of as well.
“That’s the beauty of offensive line, people don’t talk about you unless you mess up,” he said. That’s just how we’re bred. Not a lot of individual accolades, we just play together as a unit and try to really care for our offense.”
For more New York Giants news, turn to AMNY.com
The Giants are on the cusp of making their first playoff appearance since 2016, which means a Pro Bowl snub isn’t likely to sting for long for anyone inside the locker room at 1925 Giants Drive. A Giants win coupled with several different scenarios could punch the Giants’ postseason ticket this weekend.
Naturally, the Giants head coach wasn’t getting too far ahead of himself on Thursday.
“I think we’re getting ready to try to win this game. That’s about it,” Daboll said.
