Houston Texans rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. will replace Las Vegas Raiders Maxx Crosby o the AFC Pro Bowl roster.

Houston Texans Will Anderson is replacing Maxx Crosby on AFC Pro Bowl roster due to surgery Crosby had.

Congrats to rookie Will Anderson. pic.twitter.com/B5Afb8oWoL

— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) January 24, 2024

Crosby had been a recent knee surgery and will not be able to play in the Pro Bowl. This is quite the accomplishment from a rookie as he was the first replacement called upon. The Texans simply were the surprise team of the entire NFL. The were projected to have one of the worst record in the league and simply surpassed those expectations.

The Texans traded back up in the first round to select Will Anderson Jr. and gave up their own first round pick in 2024. This trade before the season looked risky, however, but has definitely worked out for the Texans. The Texans’ own pick is at pick 27 and also have the Cleveland Browns first round pick at 23 because of the Deshaun Watson trade.Anderson Jr. can be considered to be one of the front runners for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Jalen Carter is currently the favorite but not by much.

Anderson Jr. currently sits at +150 to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award according to Texas sportsbooks.

This season, Anderson Jr. has arguably had better number than Carter and also the Texans got farther in the playoffs than the Eagles, so there may be some merit to that as well. Anderson Jr. appeared in 15 games and had 7.0 sacks. However, he only ranked 5th among rookies in sacks. Kobie Turner of the Los Angeles Rams lead all rookies with 9.0 sacks.

The future is looking very bright for Will Anderson Jr. and this entire Texans team. Their emergence now makes the AFC South a lot more competitive then once thought. The Texans should be competing for that Division title now for years to come.