Left tackle Trent Williams was the lone Redskins player to be selected to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday night, earning an invitation to the sport’s annual all-star game for a third consecutive season.
Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and running back Alfred Morris were each selected as alternates.
Williams has started 14 of Washington’s 15 games so far this season despite battling numerous injuries, including recurring discomfort in his right knee. The 26-year-old originally believed he had dislocated his right knee cap in Week 4 against the New York Giants, then sprained the same knee in Week 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has also played through a sprained ankle and sprained right shoulder, which has made him a gametime decision for Sunday’s season finale against the Dallas Cowboys.
Williams has shown an ability and determination to play through those maladies, aiding the Redskins’ running game and earning respect from his peers in the process.
“It’s extremely humbling to know that your hard work and dedication pays off again,” Williams said in a statement released by the team Tuesday night, “and that people around the league, my peers, recognize my efforts and continue to vote me as one of the league’s best.”
Williams was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Oklahoma. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl following his third season but was ultimately unable to participate following an altercation at a Honolulu night club in which he was struck by a champagne bottle. A league investigation cleared Williams of any wrongdoing and he was permitted to watch that year’s game from the sidelines.
On Tuesday, Williams was named to the Pro Bowl despite not finishing among the top 10 players at his position in fan votes, which accounted for one-third of the balloting process. Votes from coaches and fellow players made up the rest of the procedure.
Kerrigan, who has notched a career-high 13 1/2 sacks so far this season, and Morris, who eclipsed 1,000 yards for a third consecutive year, will each hope to join Williams at the Pro Bowl, which will be held Jan. 25 in Glendale, Arizona.
Punter Tress Way and fullback Darrel Young, who each finished among the top five players at their positions in the fan voting portion of the balloting, were not selected.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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