The Pittsburgh Steelers benefited from another player being unavailable to play in the Pro Bowl games when quarterback Russell Wilson was named as a replacement for Buffalo’s Josh Allen.
Earlier in the day, guard Isaac Seumalo was selected to replace Trey Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs who is not available because of the team’s run to the Super Bowl.
Wilson started the final 11 games of the season for the Steelers after missing the first six games because of a calf injury he sustained on the eve of training camp. Wilson won six of his first seven starts but was the quarterback when the Steelers ended the year on a five-game losing streak, including postseason.
Wilson completed 63.7% of his passes for 2,482 yards, 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. His selection to participate in the Pro Bowl skills competition is the 10th of his career.
Kicker Chris Boswell, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward and outside linebacker T.J. Watt were named to the Pro Bowl roster. Watt withdrew from the games because of injury. Special teams player Miles Killebrew also was named as an injury replacement.
The skills competition portion of the Pro Bowl begins Thursday. The four-day event culminated with a flag-football game Sunday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.