2 Seahawks named to NFL.com's Pro Bowl team

Earl Thomas takes the field before the Seahawks game against Atlanta, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 at CenturyLink Field. Earl Thomas takes the field before the Seahawks game against Atlanta, Monday, Nov. 20, 2017 at CenturyLink Field. Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI Photo: GENNA MARTIN, SEATTLEPI Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close 2 Seahawks named to NFL.com's Pro Bowl team 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Bobby Wagner has said that winning the league's Defensive Player of the Year is a goal of his, and at some point that may happen. For now, the Seattle linebacker can say he's having another Pro Bowl season.

Wagner is one of the two Seahawks named to NFL.com's 2018 Pro Bowl team, assembled by former NFL executive Gil Brandt.

The teammate to join Wagner: free safety Earl Thomas. That's not much of a surprise considering Thomas and Wagner are two of the best at their respective positions and are perhaps the two defensive players on the Seahawks who create the largest voids when absent.

This is what Brandt had to say about Thomas, who has 42 total tackles, two interceptions and a touchdown this year.

Thomas has excelled even though he's had to soldier on without injured secondary-mates Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor; he's probably taken it upon himself to pick up some of the slack with Sherman and Chancellor on the shelf. Thomas has missed seven games over the past two seasons -- and the Seahawks went 3-4 in those contests, which tells you just how important he is.

As for Wagner -- questionable to play this week because of a lingering hamstring injury -- he's having a season worthy of DPOY honors and this is what Brandt penned about the league's top tackler.

The secondary tends to get the bulk of the attention in Seattle, but Wagner plays an extremely important role. The tenacious linebacker has a great ability to recognize what the offensive play is and where it's likely to go. In addition to tackling (he leads the NFL since 2014 with 500 in that span), he can play in space, as his two picks this season (eight in his career) show. His competitiveness is off the charts. Yes, he left with a hamstring injury on Sunday -- but if he can walk, I expect he'll try to play against the Rams this week.

Visit seattlepi.com for more Seattle Seahawks news. Contact sports reporter Michael-Shawn Dugar at michaelshawndugar@seattlepi.com or @MikeDugar.