Four former Wisconsin football players named to the initial Pro Bowl roster
The rosters are set the 2026 NFL Pro Bowl, and they include four former Wisconsin Badgers.
The NFL Pro Bowl rosters have been released. A combination of votes from fans, coaches, and players determines the Pro Bowl rosters. Four former Wisconsin football players have officially been named Pro Bowlers.
In the fan vote, seven former Badgers finished in the top 10. The players in bold have been named to the Pro Bowl:
OLB TJ Watt - 3rd
OLB TJ Edwards - 7th
ILB Zack Baun - 10th
RB Jonathan Taylor - 3rd
TE Jake Ferguson - 9th
FB Alec Ingold - 5th
Return Specialist Chimere Dike* - 3rd
After the coaches’ and players’ votes, TJ Watt, Zack Baun, Jonathan Taylor, and Chimere Dike were all named to the initial Pro Bowl rosters. Yes, I know Dike finished his collegiate career at Florida, but he is still a former Badger after spending four years in Madison. I’m counting him.
We all know how this goes. Once teams start moving deep into the playoffs, there are injuries, or players opt out, there will be more players who ‘make’ the Pro Bowl, so there could be other Badgers who could be named to the rosters later on.
TJ Watt has missed the last two games for the Steelers after suffering a partially collapsed lung after a dry needling treatment. But through 13 games this season, Watt has seven sacks, an interception, and two fumble recoveries. This will be his eighth consecutive Pro Bowl selection.
Zack Baun, coming off an all-pro season that ended in a Super Bowl victory in 2024, has come back down to Earth a bit in 2025, but he is still having a solid season. He has a pair of interceptions this season and 3.5 sacks while tallying 117 total tackles for the Eagles through 15 games played. This will be Baun’s second Pro Bowl nod.
Jonathan Taylor is having a great season with the Colts. Sitting at 8-7, injuries have derailed the team after starting 7-1. Despite the struggles by the team, Taylor is still No. 2 in rushing yards (1,489) and first in rushing touchdowns (17) by a wide margin. Green Bay’s Josh Jacobs is second with 14 rushing touchdowns. This will be JT’s 3rd Pro Bowl selection.
Finally, we have Chimere Dike. The rookie was drafted with the first pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. At the time, it looked like the Titans reached for the former Wisconsin/Florida receiver, but he has been an absolute weapon for Tennessee on special teams. He leads the NFL in kick return yards (1,535) and is third in punt return yards (382). He has a pair of punt returns for touchdowns, which is tied for the most in the NFL. Dike also has 41 receptions this season for 341 yards and four touchdowns.
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