The 'Cats have a Pro Bowler for the second year in a row.
Former Wildcat Ben Skowronek is officially listed as a wide receiver, but that label barely scratches the surface. He’s more Swiss Army knife than slot guy. Sure, he hauled in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first passing touchdown of the season, but his real money reps keep coming on special teams.
Just ask Detroit Lions punt returner Kalif Raymond.
In the second quarter, Skowronek was a heat-seeking missile. As the first man down the field, with perfect timing, he flattened Raymond at the exact moment the ball hit his hands. It was a Pro Bowl–caliber play, and just another entry on his special-teams highlight reel this season.
It turns out that the league noticed.
Skowronek has officially been voted into the Pro Bowl Games, and Northwestern Football wasted no time celebrating.
It’s been a full-on breakout year for Skowronek, the kind that turns role players into must-keep guys. If his Pro Bowl case wasn’t locked in before Week 16, his all-gas performance against the Lions slammed the door shut on any debate.
And here’s the best part: his defining play of the season didn’t come on a catch or a crunching tackle. It came in the dirty-work moments, the ones that flip field position, swing momentum and win games, including a season-best special teams gem in the win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing the field-position game, and punter Corliss Waitman unloaded a moonshot toward the end zone. The ball was skipping and sprinting toward the goal line. One more bounce away from a Dolphins touchback and a comfy start at the 20.
Then, the Benny Skow Magic Show kicked off.
Skowronek came flying in from a few yards back, hit the jets, slipped behind the ball, and perfectly swatted it back into play. Not a shove. Not a panic swipe. Just the right touch to kill the momentum and pin it inside the 5, where Brandin Echols pounced on it.
That’s not just athleticism, that’s next-level football IQ.
Skowronek had to toe the line, literally. One wrong step and it’s a touchback. Too much force and the ball squirts loose. Instead, he stayed under control, read the bounce, and trusted his help. That’s elite situational awareness, the kind special teams coordinators dream about.
Skowronek signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in free agency after spending the 2024 season with the Steelers as well, originally landing on the practice squad. He ended up appearing in 10 games, making one start, and finished with five grabs for 69 yards, a solid 13.8 yards per catch.
Originally, Skowronek entered the league as a seventh-round flier, the 249th overall pick by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 NFL Draft. He carved out a role there, playing in 45 games with 12 starts, hauling in 58 catches for 575 yards. He’s also logged time with the Houston Texans along the way.