INDIANAPOLIS — Jack Doyle is a Pro Bowler once again.
The National Football League announced today that Doyle, the Indianapolis Colts' veteran tight end, has been selected as an alternate to play for the AFC team in the 2020 Pro Bowl; Doyle takes the place of Travis Kelce, whose Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday advanced to Super Bowl LIV with their win over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Championship Game.
Doyle is now a Pro Bowler for the second time in his career, and the Colts now officially will have four players representing the team in this year's annual NFL all-star game; Doyle joins center Ryan Kelly, linebacker Darius Leonard and guard Quenton Nelson. It's the most Colts Pro Bowlers since the team had seven selections in 2014.
The 2020 NFL Pro Bowl will be played at 2 p.m. Saturday at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla., and is being televised on ESPN.
The ever-dependable Doyle enjoyed yet another solid all-around year in 2019, starting all 16 games and finishing with 43 receptions for 448 yards and four touchdowns; his four touchdowns tied for the second most in his career, while his receptions and yardage marks were the third most for the Western Kentucky product.
Doyle also continues to be one of the more consistent pass-catching tight ends in the NFL. Since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2013, Doyle's catch percentage of 73.4 ranks 15th among all players with at least 225 receptions, and is the second-best rate among tight ends.
But what really sets Doyle apart is his ability to block. His 78.1 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus in 2019 ranked second in the league among qualifying players at his position, while his 68.2 run-blocking grade ranked ninth.
Doyle, according to PFF, allowed zero sacks all season; in fact, he was one of just four qualifying tight ends in the league to allow just one total quarterback pressure on the year.
The Colts were so satisfied with Doyle's performance that they signed him to a reported three-year contract extension before the 2019 season even came to an end.
"Maybe the thing that I think about Jack the most is he's not only a great player himself, but he literally has his unique ways where he makes everybody better around him," Colts head coach Frank Reich told Colts.com about Doyle on Dec. 6. "And he just stands for everything we're about, and wanna be about. He's got great leadership — every aspect of his leadership is exemplary. And then on top of that he's a great player.
"I mean, the guy's incredible."
Doyle now has been selected to the second-most Pro Bowls of any tight end in franchise history. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer John Mackey (five) has more.
