Steelers' Chris Boswell, Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward named to Pro Bowl roster

Justin Tucker’s five-year reign as the AFC kicker named to the Pro Bowl roster has ended. But the man who replaced him doesn’t views it as a passing of the torch.

“There’s no passing a guy like that,” said Chris Boswell, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 10th-year kicker.

Tucker, the Baltimore Ravens’ longtime kicker, has been named to the Pro Bowl on seven occasions overall and is a five-time first-team AP All-Pro. Boswell, though, clearly outperformed him this season and was rewarded with the Pro Bowl recognition the league announced Thursday.

“What he’s done in this game and how long he’s done it — and still doing it — you don’t pass a guy like that,” Boswell said. “I mean, he’s having a statistically bad year, but if you watch him pre-game kicking, he’s still the guy. Some go in, some don’t. If he makes a couple of those, we’re not talking about it. It’s just the ups and downs of our job. We’ve all been there.”

Boswell has had his downs — most notably, an uncharacteristically poor 2018 season — but his 2024 was good enough to join three other Steelers (all from the defense) in being named to what is now called Pro Bowl Games. Boswell has made 40 of 43 field goal attempts, including all 12 tries from beyond 50 yards, and all 33 point-after attempts this season.

Balloting was conducted by fans, players and coaches, with each group’s vote counting as one-third toward determining the all-star players. In lieu of a traditional football game, Pro Bowlers will compete in a flag football game as well as in a variety of other competitive events Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in Orlando, Fla.

Boswell was also the AFC Pro Bowl kicker for the 2017 season. The Steelers’ veteran trio of possible future Hall of Fame defensive players also named to this year’s Pro Bowl — defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick — also are repeat honorees.

Heyward and Watt are seven-time selections, and Fitzpatrick is a Pro Bowler for the fifth time.

“It means a lot,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s a huge honor. It means players, coaches and fans have decided who they want to represent their league. Even though this hasn’t been my splashiest year, my best year, I think I still played a lot of good football, and they thought I was good enough to represent the AFC.”

Playing more of a deep “center field” than in past seasons, Fitzpatrick has just one takeaway this season — an interception — to go along with 93 tackles (60 solo), four passes defensed and a forced fumble that was recovered by the offense.

Fitzpatrick acknowledged he did not expect to be selected for the Pro Bowl.

“I’ve been back in the post and doing my job for the most part,” he said. “I was surprised (to be picked), but I’m honored.”

Watt, who, on Wednesday, was named Steelers team MVP, is among the favorites for the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He has 11 1/2 sacks, 27 QB hits, six forced fumbles (three on strip sacks), four passes batted down, two fumble recoveries and 61 tackles (40 solo, 19 for loss).

The 35-year-old Heyward has eight sacks, 12 tackles for loss, eight batted-down passes and 70 tackles (35 solo).