The NFL announced that Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown will replace the Los Angeles Rams’ Aaron Donald on the 2024 NFC Pro Bowl roster. Donald is unable to participate due to an undisclosed injury.
Donald was named to is 10th consecutive Pro Bowl but will miss the event for the third consecutive year. The star defensive lineman missed last year due to an ankle injury, and the year before he missed because of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI appearance.
Despite the Panther’s dismal record, Brown is a worthy player to replace Donald as he broke the NFL single-season record for tackles made by a defensive lineman with 103. The previous record was 98 by the Miami Dolphins’ Christian Wilkinson in 2022. Brown blew past the Carolina franchise record of 67 previously held by Mike Rucker.
Brown was named an alternate when the original Pro Bowl rosters were announced earlier in January. He was joined by teammates Brian Burns, Johnny Hekker and JJ Jansen as reserves.
For Donald, the injury doesn’t seem very serious and he and the team appear to be taking a cautious approach with him following their playoff appearance. Donald has flirted with retirement since the Rams won Super Bowl LVI, but all indications are that he’ll be around for the 2024 season.
Despite getting older, Donald has shown no signs of slowing down on the field and it’s reflected in how teams cover him. In the Wild Card round against the Detroit Lions, Donald was constantly double and sometimes even triple-teamed every time he went to rush Jared Goff.
The Rams’ defensive line was more inexperienced than years past, but rookies Byron Young and Kobie Turner developed quickly during the regular season and look like long-term pieces for the defense. Donald himself said he was energized playing along his younger teammates and that bodes well for the group next season.
The Pro Bowl Games are set to take place in Orlando, FL on Thursday Feb. 1 to Sunday, Feb. 4. The first day features a skill challenge, while Sunday will have another skills challenge and a flag football game.
Matthew Stafford to return to Rams for 2024 season
Like Donald, there was some speculation that Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford would retire following his injury-riddled 2022 campaign. However, Stafford bounced back in 2023 and had a vintage year down the stretch.
The veteran quarterback looked healthy in the playoffs and he got ahead of any questions about his future when he said he was planning to return to the Rams for 2024.
