2023 Allmost All-Pro

 By John Turney 

Vinny DiTrani (l) and Larry Weisman (r)

For the fourth straight year, as an homage we've picked an "Allmost All-Joe Team".

What's that?

In a relatively new concept, the Bergen (N.J.) Record's Vinny DiTrani in 1970 picked a quasi-All-Star team to, as he wrote then, "give a little recognition to men who, for one reason or another, missed out on the real honors" ... and by "real honors," he meant Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams. 

He called it the "Allmost All-Pro Team"  -- yes with two l's -- and he continued the tradition for just over 40 years. It may have been the first of the common "snubbed" articles we see every year, and it was followed in 1992 by a similar concept initiated by NFL writer Larry Weisman of USA Today.

His team, as he put it, was composed of "(a) few players who got lost in the shuffle this season. They're just a bunch of 'guys named Joe' who did their jobs without getting accolades or who labored in the shadows of more publicized teammates."  He called it the "All-Joe Team," and he selected it for 22 seasons. 

Today, as an homage to DiTrani and Weisman, we've chosen a team of non-Pro Bowlers and non-All-Pros who deserve recognition for their work last season, and I've combined the names of their teams -- the Allmost All-Pro and the All-Joe into the "Allmost All-Joe Team" -- again with two l's.

Neither writer was picky about the size of his squads, declining to limit their choices to 22 or 25 players. If, for instance, Wesiman wanted three tight ends, he'd pick three. If he wanted two quarterbacks, he'd choose two. 

We'll do the same.

Here, then, is our 2023 Allmost All-Joe Team—

OFFENSE

C—Mitch Morse, Bills.

A poor man's Jason Kelce. Like Kelce, he's one of the few NFL centers that can get outside and lead block. Morse did go to a Pro Bowl in 2022, but that's his only one in nine NFL seasons. He was just as good this year but didn't get the nod.

Welcome to the Allmost All-Joe. 

G—Trey Smith, Chiefs; Sam Cosmi, Commanders; Kevin Dotson, Rams and Robert Hunt, Dolphins.

All four are big-time players who can displace defensive linemen. All four are bullies. 

Trey Smith has yet another ring, while Cosmi battled in many a lost cause in the Nation's Capital.  Early in the season, the Steelers traded Dotson to the Rams where their new gap-blocking scheme suited him. Now, he's a free agent looking to cash in big on his season. Hunt was dogged by a hamstring injury this year that prevented him from getting All-Pro notice. 

All are perfect fits for this squad ... great years but not well known.

T—Rashawn Slater, Chargers; Rob Havenstein, Rams.

Both tackles played well. Slater came back from a 2022 ruptured left biceps tendon injury and looked to be back to his 2021 Pro Bowl level. Havenstein's career has ranged from average to pretty darn good, and this year it was the latter. He may never make a Pro Bowl as a right tackle, but he's what Weisman had in mind when he created "All-Joe".

TE—Jake Ferguson, Cowboys.

Actually, Ferguson did go to the Pro Bowl as a Super Bowl replacement for the 49ers'  George Kittle. However, that only happened because first-alternate T.J. Hockenson was hurt. So Ferguson filled in for him. Nevertheless, he's staying on the Allmost All-Joe team as the tight end.

WR—D.J. Moore, Bears; George Pickens, Steelers and Garrett Wilson, Jets.

Moore had the best numbers of this group with 96 receptions, 1,364 receiving yards and eight scores, but this is an era when those numbers won't guarantee a Pro Bowl invite. Also, he did all that with a quarterback still finding his way. So, by grading on a curve, Moore's year looks better than the raw numbers. 

The same logic applies to Pickens and Wilson. 

Both played on offenses that struggled (to put it kindly), yet Pickett still led the NFL in yards per catch (18.1) with 1,140 yards on 63 receptions. Somehow, Wilson caught 95 passes for over 1,000 yards with a Jets' team that went through four quarterbacks. 

True, 1,000 yards receiving in a 17-game season is not a big deal -- nor should it be -- but when you couple it with who and how the ball was being thrown, in this case it was a big deal. 

Get these men star quarterbacks, and you'll see big numbers.

QB—Jordan Love, Packers.

Love had a helluva season -- 35 total touchdowns, over 4,000 yards passing, a litany of comeback wins -- everything you want a quarterback to do.  But it wasn't until his Packers smoked the Cowboys in the playoffs that people really took notice. Talk about a legacy position -- Starr, Favre, Rodgers and now maybe Love. 

FB—Keith Smith, Falcons.

Smith is always solid, no matter whom he's blocking for in Hotlanta. But he can never beat out the 49ers' Kyle Juszczyk for a Pro Bowl nod. 

RB—Travis Etienne, Jaguars.

Compared to last year, the blocking in 2023 seemed off in Jacksonville. The line seemed to struggle, and, as a result, Etienne didn't have as many explosive plays. So he had to grind it out more. However, he was used more in the Jaguars' passing game and topped his 2022 total in yards from scrimmage.

DEFENSE

DE—Zach Sieler, Dolphins (3-4); Jonathan Greenard, Texans (4-3).

If you compare future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer J.J. Watt's 2022 numbers to Sieler's 2023 numbers -- just the numbers -- you'd be surprised how close they are. 

No, no one is comparing his skill set with Watt's, but if a big-name player had the kind of year Sieler did his praises would have been sung nationwide. The problem is that he's not a big name, and he plays a pretty much of a grunt position of 4i/5-technique -- meaning he just does the dirty work without much acclaim. 

All that can be done is to give him a spot on the Allmost All-Joe Team. 

Even though Greenard missed a pair of games, 2023 was the healthiest he's been in his NFL career ... and he responded with his best season by producing 12-1/2 sacks and playing mentor to Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year Will Anderson. Those two should be a solid pair of bookends for DeMeco Ryans' defense for a few years -- if the Texans can keep both. 

DT—Ed Oliver, Bills; Kobie Turner, Rams and Alim McNeill, Lions (nose).

Oliver set career highs in tackles (51), sacks (9-1/2), tackles for loss (14) and quarterback hits (16). Meanwhile, All-Rookie Kobie Turner played multiple roles for the Rams. He backed up Bobby Brown III at nose tackle, starting for him when Brown was hurt, and was the shade tackle next to Aaron Donald in the Rams' nickel defense. 

The two of them worked so well together in games and stunts that Turner tied Donald's club record for sacks by a rookie.

McNeill was hurt late in the year but played hard all year defending the run and putting pressure on quarterbacks from his nose-tackle position.

LB—Jahlani Tavai, Patriots; T.J. Edwards, Bears and Bradley Chubb, Dolphins (edge).

The Patriots were bad, but their defense wasn't ... and one of the reasons was Tavai's play at linebacker. He was solid all year, as was Edwards for the Bears.

Chubb had a bad knee injury in Week 17 but still had a fine season with 73 tackles and 11 sacks. Plus, he tied for the league lead with six forced fumbles. His loss was felt by the Dolphins in the playoffs.

CB—Derek Stingley Jr., Texans; Darious Williams, Jaguars and Ja’Quan McMillian, Broncos (slot).

It wouldn't be a surprise if Stingley is a Pro Bowler next year; he's a rising star. Williams, on the other hand, is already there. His play this year was reminiscent of 2020 when he had an elite season.

McMillian began to play one week after the Broncos' 70-20 loss to Miami (he'd only played six snaps before that) and made an immediate impact. From his slot position, he pressured the quarterback, made tackles for loss, forced fumbles and just made things happen to improve what had been a lackluster defense. 

Yes, he was beaten for a few touchdowns -- he still has a ways to go -- but he should be one to watch for years to come. He's a playmaker.

S—Tashaun Gipson Sr., 49ers; Xavier McKinney, Giants.

Throughout 12 seasons, Gipson has always been steady. But he had his role change this year when Talanoa Hufanga was sidelined, and he responded with a great season -- one worthy of the Pro Bowl. But on a team of stars, someone is going to get missed ... and Gipson was that someone.

McKinney just seemed to make plays for an underwhelming Giants' team, with 116 tackles, three interceptions, a forced a fumble and two fumble recoveries. On a good team, he'd be a star.

SPECIAL TEAMS

K—Cameron Dicker, Chargers.

The NFL has a stat called "FG plus or minus" that measures a kicker's accuracy compared to the league rate at each distance. Yes, it's an analytic, but it's a good one ... and Dicker was second in the NFL. He had a very good year.

P—Cameron Johnston, Texans.

Fourth in the NFL net punting, with a  30:3 Inside-the-20-to-touchback ratio and the league's third-best NYOA (Net Yards over Average -- a good metric to measure a punter's efficiency), Johnson won just two All-Pro votes and wasn't even a Pro Bowl alternate. 

He deserved better.

Returner—Xavier Gipson, New York Jets.

Solid in both kick and punt returns, taking one punt to the house.

ST—Ameer Abdullah, Raiders.

The 30-year-old backup running back set a career-high in special teams tackles. He's found a place in the NFL ... on third down as a receiver and on special teams.