Tight end Greg Olsen, linebackers Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis, and fullback Mike Tolbert were named to the 2017 Pro Bowl, the National Football League announced Tuesday.
All four players were selected to the Pro Bowl previously. This is the fourth consecutive selection for Kuechly (2013-16), the third consecutive selection for Olsen (2014-16) and the second consecutive selection for Davis (2015-16) and Tolbert (2015-16). Tolbert was also named to the Pro Bowl squad in 2013.
Olsen, in his 10th NFL season and sixth with the Panthers, leads NFL tight ends this season with 992 receiving yards and is second with 71 receptions. Olsen needs just eight yards to reach 1,000 yards for the season and become the first tight end in NFL history with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Olsen has registered at least 500 yards in eight of the past nine seasons (2008-09, 2011-16), and has at least 800 yards in each of the past five seasons. Olsen has also notched the seventh 50-catch season of his career and his fourth consecutive 70-catch season.
Kuechly has played in 10 games this season and coaches have credited him with 112 tackles in addition to two sacks, six quarterback pressures, an interception and six passes defensed. He has recorded eight double-digit tackle games in 2016, including six consecutive to start the season. In five NFL seasons, all with the Panthers, Kuechly has been credited with 796 tackles, the third-most in team history.
Davis, who has spent his entire 12-year career with the Panthers, leads the team with 115 tackles this season, his fifth consecutive with at least 100 tackles. Davis has also been credited with 2.5 sacks, eight quarterback pressures, two passes defensed, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, including one he returned for a touchdown. Davis is the team’s all-time leading tackler with 1,069 stops.
A nine-year NFL veteran, Tolbert is in his fifth season with the Panthers. He has made the Pro Bowl in three of the past four seasons. Tolbert has contributed 19 total touchdowns in his time with the Panthers and has helped open blocking lanes for the League’s 10th-ranked rushing offense this season. His blocking efforts have helped running back Jonathan Stewart score eight rushing touchdowns this season, Stewart’s most since he tallied 10 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009.
The 2017 Pro Bowl will be played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday, January 29 and televised live at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.
The Pro Bowl will feature a return to the traditional AFC vs. NFC game format following three years using a revised, “unconferenced” format. The NFL’s best will once again be in the spotlight as 88 players – 44 from the AFC and 44 from the NFC – are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches.
