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Commanders player moved to tears after Ron Rivera surprises him with Pro Bowl honor

Jeremy Reaves made the Pro Bowl as a special-teamer after 3 years on the practice squad

Jack Baer
Staff writer
·3 min read
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The Pro Bowl has been marginalized to the point that it's no longer a game of tackle football, but the players still do care about being recognized as one of the best at their position.

For evidence of that, look no further than a touching video the Washington Commanders posted on Wednesday after the 2022-23 Pro Bowl rosters were announced. The video shows Rivera surprising each of the Commanders players with the news they've received the honor.

Four Commanders made the Pro Bowl: wide receiver Terry McLaurin, defensive lineman Jonathan Allen, punter Tress Way and safety/special-teamer Jeremy Reaves. It was the latter player who made the video a tearjerker, as he was clearly stunned and began tearing up before embracing Rivera.

To understand the emotion behind that video, you have to understand what Reaves did to make it to the Pro Bowl.

After four seasons at South Alabama, Reaves went unselected in the 2018 NFL draft and landed with the Philadelphia Eagles. He didn't last long in Philly, getting waived before the season started and eventually signing with the Commanders' practice squad. Then he waited nearly the entire season to make his NFL debut, only getting called up to the active roster in December.

The next two seasons were déjà vu; Reaves was waived before the season, quickly signed to the practice squad and saw sporadic playing time late in the season. There are dozens of players like that in the NFL, and very few break out into any meaningful role after three years.

Here's what that sort of life looks like on an NFL transaction page:

Finally, Reaves made the Commanders 53-man roster to open this season, his first time to break camp on an active roster. So far, he has been on the field for a career-high 86 percent of the team's special teams snaps and, as shown by his Pro Bowl selection, he has managed to stand out.

As all of that was happening, Reaves sadly lost his mother, Rose, in Nov. 2021. As he told the Commanders' website, that loss affected him on the football side:

"My mom was my biggest fan," Reaves said. "She was always telling me, just be sure of myself…don't try to do too much, do what you know you're capable of. So, I've kind of just took that approach. It's a sense of calm. I'm not out there panicking, I'm not out there seeing too much."

The sport's lifelong association with his mother made stepping out on the field healing for him last season.

"It was probably the best thing for me, honestly," the safety said. "I need something to keep me going, and I know my mom would've wanted me to keep going. Just put my best foot forward every day. Trying to honor her the best way I can, and that was really how I got through it all."

Naturally, Reaves' mother was the first person he thanked once the news came out.

So you can understand why most of the players were more excited to hear Reaves made the cut than themselves.

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 14: Jeremy Reaves #39 of the Washington Commanders warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 14, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Jeremy Reaves' Pro Bowl selection was a long time coming. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)