Julio Jones to miss 2015 Pro Bowl

Atlanta Falcons star wide receiver Julio Jones will miss the 2015 Pro Bowl next weekend as he is still recovering from an oblique injury that limited him near the end of the regular season. The Falcons announced this from their twitter account at about 2 p.m. today:

In his place, according to the story by Emily Adams (linked above), will be Denver Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Sanders finished the season with 1,404 yards and nine touchdowns, while Jones finished 2014 with 1,593 yards and six touchdowns. Throughout most of the 2014 season, Jones was regarded as one of the top receivers–if not the top receiver–but his production was limited as he dealt with injuries.

Jones missed a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but still finished No. 3 in the NFL in receiving yards–behind Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown (1,698) and Denver’s Demaryius Thomas (1,619).

The Pro Bowl is essentially meaningless in my mind, and this is 100 percent the right thing to do. There’s no need for Jones to risk further aggravating the oblique in an exhibition game that could limit his personal success and the success of the Falcons next season.

In the meantime, Sanders will be going to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. After his breakout season with Peyton Manning, it’s nice to see him get the reward.

Next: Dan Quinn likely to become Falcons new head coach