Allen Park — The Detroit Lions tripled their Pro Bowl participants this week with wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackle Penei Sewell getting elevated to the roster, after the Philadelphia Eagles qualified for the Super Bowl.
St. Brown replaces Eagles receiver A.J. Brown, while Sewell gets the nod in the stead of Philadelphia offensive tackle Lane Johnson. The two will join Lions teammate Frank Ragnow, who was named to the initial roster in late December.
St. Brown is coming off a stellar sophomore season, catching 106 passes for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns. He finished in the top 10 in the NFL in receptions, yards, first-down catches and yards after the catch. He was particularly valuable to the Lions on third down. His 23 drive-extending receptions on third down ranked third in the league, just two behind league leader Justin Jefferson.
As for Sewell, also in his second season with the Lions, the former first-round pick started 17 games at right tackle, playing 100% of Detroit’s 1,142 offensive snaps during the campaign. As a pass protector, he trimmed the sacks he allowed from five as a rookie to two last year, while also continuing to be an elite run blocker at his position.
Sewell even caught a pass in 2022, hauling in a game-sealing first down in a late-season victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
The Lions also had three Pro Bowlers in 2020 when Ragnow was joined by former Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson and punter Jack Fox. The team hasn’t placed three offensive players on the roster since the 2014 season, when quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receivers Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate made the squad.
This year’s Pro Bowl will be held in Las Vegas. The traditional format is being replaced with a week of festivities that include skills competitions and culminates with a flag football game on Sunday.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers