Four Houston Texans players make the initial 2025 Pro Bowl roster

Maybe this hasn’t quite been the season of glory most Houston Texans’ fans hoped for when 2024-25 kicked off in September. The Houston Texans sit at 9-7, with one rather meaningless game left on the regular season schedule before hosting another home playoff game in the Wild Card Round for winning their eighth AFC South crown. The current mood surrounding the team...well, perhaps not great. Yet, a reason for much of the optimism for the squad to start the season, and why the Texans may yet have a puncher’s chance in the playoffs, centers on the individual talent on the roster.

Earlier today, the NFL released the 2025 Pro Bowl rosters. These selections are a result of votes from fans, players and coaches. The Pro Bowl festivities will take place in the week before the Super Bowl down in Orlando, FL, with a 7-on-7 flag football game slated for Sunday, February 2. The Houston Texans put four players on the initial roster. They are:

• RB Joe Mixon
• WR Nico Collins
• CB Derek Stingley Jr.
• LT Laremy Tunsil

This is the first Pro Bowl selection for Collins and Stingley. Collins, who before a hamstring injury, led the league in reception yards, sits fourth in the league in reception yards/game. Stingley, continuing his breakout play from the back half of last season, sits sixth in the league in interceptions (5) and rates among the best as his position. Joe Mixon, undergoing a bit of a career renaissance since his trade from the Bengals, rates ninth in the league in rushing as he gets his second Pro Bowl nod. LT Laremy Tunsil returns for the fifth time to the Pro Bowl, and for all of the penalties he tends to draw, he also is among the league leaders in pass blocking.

Perhaps not a huge shock to see these particular players make the cut for the Pro Bowl. This author might have expected one of the DEs, ala Danielle Hunter or Will Anderson, Jr, to make the Pro Bowl as well. Granted, the Pro Bowl is far from the big event it used to be, replaced more by exhibitions and fan-friendly affairs. Still, no one will reject an individual honor after a long, hard-fought season (and the likely bonuses that come from such a selection).

As the NFL post-season progresses, there are likely to be substitutions galore as players withdraw and/or their team is fortunate enough to make it to the Super Bowl. Perhaps Hunter, Anderson and others might join these four in Orlando for the festivities. Or, perhaps none will make it, if Houston can go on an all-time heater (a la the 2007 and 2011 New Jersey Giants).

Come what may in the weeks ahead, a hearty congratulations to the four selected players. No doubt they will represent themselves well in Orlando in early February.

UPDATE:

The Texans also announced they will send six Pro Bowl alternates to Orlando.

Those players include:

QB C.J. Stroud
DE Will Anderson Jr.
DE Danielle Hunter
S Jimmie Ward
K Ka’imi Fairbairn
P Tommy Townsend

Ward obviously won’t be able to participate even if his name does get called on to fill in a potential Pro Bowl slot, due to his season-ending injury against the Kansas City Chiefs back in December.

Still a great honor for all of these guys because even though nobody cares about the Pro Bowl, it beats not being named to the game, either as a starter or alternate.