FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys' front lines will be well-represented at the Pro Bowl in Orlando, Fla., this January.
The NFL's Pro Bowl rosters were announced on Tuesday evening, with four Cowboys players included – all four of whom play in the trenches.
The Cowboys once again will send most of their offensive line to the Pro Bowl, as Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin were all selected. Defensively, DeMarcus Lawrence earned his first-ever Pro Bowl nomination.
Lawrence is probably the most noteworthy of the Cowboys' selections, as the fourth-year veteran has enjoyed a breakout campaign that has seen him join the NFL's pass rushing elite. As it stands with two weeks left in the season, Lawrence currently sits third in the league in total sacks, with 13.5.
"It's very exciting to be recognized by the league and the fans – thank you to the fans – and the coaches also," Lawrence said. "I try my hardest to give thanks. I'm very blessed."
Lawrence's sack total is good enough in its own right, but it comes off the strength of an absolutely insane start to Lawrence's fourth campaign. The Aiken, South Carolina, native racked up sacks in seven-straight games to open the season – including 6.5 in the first three weeks.
With the Cowboys still harboring playoff hopes, though, Lawrence said he's still focused on team goals over individual honors.
"My main focus is still trying to get into these playoffs right now," he said. "Football is an 11-man sport and that's my main focus. I know that's the team's focus. Even though I'm excited, I'm still trying to make it to a Super Bowl."
The Cowboys' other three Pro Bowlers should be plenty familiar, given their stature among the NFL's elite. On the offensive side of the ball, Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin were all named to the Pro Bowl, marking the fourth-straight year that all three linemen were elected to the all-star game together.
It's a testament to the Cowboys' success building a fantastic offensive line that the trio continues to earn the recognition. Smith now has five Pro Bowl selections to his name, while Frederick and Martin each have four.
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Those kinds of numbers put all three linemen among the league's elite at their respective positions – which makes it all the more remarkable that Smith, Martin and Frederick play along the same offensive line.
Even without Ezekiel Elliott for a six-game stretch during the season, the Dallas offensive line has enjoyed another successful season on the whole. The Cowboys are third in the NFL in rushing yards, with 1,911 on the season. They're also fourth in the league in yards per carry, averaging 4.6.
The Cowboys have surrendered just 27 sacks this season, which is good enough for 10th in the league. It's also worth noting that eight of those 27 sacks happened on Nov. 12 against Atlanta, as the left tackle position suffered through a disastrous day while Smith sat out with a groin injury.
It's uncertain right now, but the Cowboys might not be done adding Pro Bowlers, either. As the regular season draws to a close, players with withdraw from the proceedings – whether because of injury, scheduling conflicts or potentially the Super Bowl.
Keep that in mind as the next two weeks play out. But for the time being, the Cowboys figure to be well represented at this year's Pro Bowl.
