CLEVELAND — For the second year in a row, the players of the National Football League have honored Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett and OG Joel Bitonio.
On Wednesday, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) announced that Garrett and Bitonio were selected by their peers to the second annual Players' All-Pro Team.
The Players' All-Pro Team is comprised of 29 of the league's top performers across 23 different positions.
Garrett, who is a top candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finished 2023 with 14 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, 86 quarterback pressures and four forced fumbles. He was voted to start in his fifth Pro Bowl and also received several accolades from Pro Football Focus, including Defensive Player of the Year, Best Pass Rusher, and the Dwight Stephenson Award for best NFL player, regardless of position.
Bitonio was selected to start his sixth Pro Bowl despite dealing with a back injury. He has been named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press twice and a second-team All-Pro three times.
Garrett and Bitonio were each selected for the inaugural Players' All-Pro Team following the 2022 season.
Here are the rules for the Players' All-Pro Team:
- Only active NFL players were eligible to vote, and each player could only vote once.
- Players could not vote for themselves or for their teammates.
- If a player missed five or more games as of Week 15 of the season, they were ineligible for a spot on the team.
- Players voted for the position group they play in and line up against on the field. For example, centers could vote for: the best center, the best nose tackle, the best interior defensive lineman and the best off-ball linebacker in the league.
- For the special teams (or “core teamers”) category, various player leaders from each locker room nominated their two top players for the ballot.
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