Turf Show Times
Every year, Sports Illustrated writer Conor Orr publishes his list of players around the NFL who have a good chance of making the Pro Bowl for the first time. It’s an interesting compilation this year, per usual, and it even features a Los Angeles Ram (more on him shortly).
But we’re going to take it a step further and more specific: Who are the most likely Rams to earn their first Pro Bowl nod this year?
Obviously, the Pro Bowl is not the be-all, end-all. It’s voted on by fans so there’s always variance, tons of players opt out annually and the third, fourth, fifth options at any given positions are generally ridiculous (Shedeur Sanders was a Pro Bowler last season, for crying out loud). Still, it is an achievement and generally, if you’re a first choice, you earned your way there, plus it’s wider ranging than All-Pro nominees.
With all that in mind, here are six Rams with the best chance of earning Pro Bowl recognition for the first time 2026.
Dotson is the Ram that Orr listed in the original piece, after a long prologue outlining both the challenge for offensive linemen to reach the Pro Bowl in the current NFC as well as the limited recognition for Rams linemen during the McVay era. Orr’s closing thoughts on Dotson make an exceptionally strong case, specifically detailing his impact on the run game, which was all-time elite for the Rams last season. Dotson played 15 games last season, and in those games Los Angeles was first in the NFL rush EPA. Without him, the Rams dropped to 16th in rush EPA for those two games.
As far as interior linemen go, it wouldn’t be a shock if Steve Avila made a run at the Pro Bowl, too.
Maybe it’s foolish to suggest this many offensive linemen could be Pro Bowlers for the Rams, let alone first timers, given the fact that McVay’s Rams have only had one Pro Bowl offensive linemen during his tenure. But Jackson is one of the better starting left tackles in the NFC right now, and a plus blindside protector on a Super Bowl contender is going to get plenty of plaudits around the league.
Of course, this is contingent on him playing the majority of the season, which we’ve covered extensively here at TST. But he’s been stellar when on the field; with Mike Clay’s offensive line composite grades at ESPN listing him as tied for the fifth-best left tackle in the league. Just this past week, Andy Herman, a podcaster who covers the Green Bay Packers, did a segment on his show about the Rams and Aaron Donald and mentioned Jackson, saying about the left tackle: “I honestly think he might be one of the most underrated players in the NFL.” That’s a completely unaffiliated content creator, who follows a different NFC contender, making that comment. The league is taking notice and that could get Jackson a...
