Casey Hayward Has Been Named to the Pro Bowl

Casey Hayward has made the pro bowl for his first season after his phenomenal year, as he has 51 combined tackles, to go along with his league-leading 7 interceptions. He was considered to be one of the better free agent cornerbacks available last offseason, and Tom Telesco seems to have struck gold with this one, signing him to a 3 year, 15.3 million dollar contract. Last year, another Chargers

Philip Rivers (2nd), Antonio Gates (3rd), Melvin Gordon (3rd), and Joey Bosa (4th) have all been named alternates as well, and at least the first three have a good shot of being able to go.

Philip Rivers has declined pro bowl invites two years in a row, after ending 2014 with a back and rib injury, and declining in 2015 due to “personal reasons.” Considering he has already gone to the pro bowl five times, I personally doubt that he’ll go this season.

Antonio Gates has also been an 8-time pro bowler in his career, most recently being named to the pro bowl in 2011. This season, he has 5 touchdowns paired with 399 yards receiving, which is less than he’s used to, but his name still holds mainstream appeal.

Melvin Gordon is named as a 3rd alternate after a disappointing rookie season, which saw him rush for only 641 yards on 184 attempts, and no touchdowns. This season, he’s been a beast for fantasy owners and is 6 yards shy of 1000 yards rushing, along with 12 touchdowns combined, and 419 yards receiving. He arguably should be a first alternate, considering he has practically carried this team's rushing attack and has done it well.

Joey Bosa missed 4 games this season after a long holdout and an injury, but as soon as he stepped on the field, his presence was felt in both the rushing and passing attack. He leads the Chargers with 7.5 sacks, with 31 combined tackles as well. He has been a huge asset to the Chargers defense, and would most likely have made the pro bowl (not as an alternate) had he played all 4 games. He’s been that good as a rookie.