Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Caleb Williams
Williams may have been drafted into the best situation ever for a number one overall pick. He has two thousand-yard receivers from last year, Keenan Allen and DJ Moore, as well as a receiver who had 1,400 yards in college last season, Rome Odunze. Additionally, Chicago signed D’Andre Swift and bolstered their offensive line in the offseason. Placing Williams, who could very well be the best prospect to ever come out of college, into this offense could mean great things for Chicago. And winning in Chicago as a QB earns you hardware.
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| (image via Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports) |
Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Jared Verse
Florida State's stifling defense in 2023 was led by Verse, who was first on the team in sacks with nine. Verse was taken with the 19th overall pick by the Rams to help fill the massive void left behind on the defensive line by the retirement of Aaron Donald. He and fellow Seminole defensive lineman Braden Fiske will have massive shoes to fill but after seeing what they could do against fierce college competition, I believe they have what it takes to be key pieces to a successful pass rush. Verse should fit in nicely with the Ram's new DC Chris Shula, who has plenty of experience developing young pass rushers in the NFL.
Offensive Player of the Year:
Jahmyr Gibbs
This award was the hardest for me to choose. I was torn between two second-year RBs Jahmyr Gibbs and Falcon's star Bijan Robinson. I ended up leaning toward Gibbs because he has a higher ceiling. In Gibbs' rookie campaign, he ran for 945 and 10 touchdowns and added 316 yards and a TD in the passing game as well. With that said, there were games last season where Gibbs was not a focal point and had less of an impact, and I don't see that being an issue this time around. The Lions offense will be one of the league's best in 2024, with Gibbs being the nucleus. If he truly has recovered from his hamstring injury, he could have a CMC-like role. My projection is around 1,200 yards on the ground and 550 through the air with a total of 16 TDs, numbers like this for a team that should be close to the top of the NFC would likely lead to Gibbs being the Offensive Player of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year:
Aidan Hutchinson
As you may be able to tell, I'm very high on Detroit this year, but not just on the offensive side of the ball. Hutchinson is entering his third season, and those of you who have read my blogs before know each year I pick a defensive end in their third season as my DPOY. That third year just always seems to be the year guys make the jump and I see the same happening for Hutchinson. In 2023, Hutch had 11.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. Detroit added some beef in the middle of their defensive line in the offseason with DTs DJ Reader and Kyle Peko joining the team. Plus they have another solid edge in Marcus Davenport. This help alongside Hutchinson will cause him to see fewer double teams, and if you give him a one-on-one it won't be long until he gets to your QB. Let's say he hits about 17 this season and brings home the DPOY award.
Comeback Player of the Year:
Anthony Richardson
There are plenty of candidates to win this award in 2024, and most of them are QBs. Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, and Daniel Jones all have a chance to win this award, but I think the QB that takes this award home is Anthony Richardson. Richardson's rookie campaign was cut short due to a shoulder injury in Week five. Richardson had seven total touchdowns in those 4 and half games he played, proving he could be the next great mobile QB in this league. Richardson has what it takes to bring Indy to the playoffs this season and if he starts where he left off, he can put up some big numbers along the way.
Coach of the Year:
Matt Eberflus
Eberflus opted to draft Caleb Williams with the first overall pick instead of sticking with Justin Fields this offseason, a move that very well could have saved his job. As I mentioned earlier, the Bears made some big moves on both sides of the ball this offseason and have the chance to be a very good team in a weak NFC. If the Bears win around 10 games and maybe even a playoff game with a team that hasn't made the playoffs since COVID, Eberflus should be a shoo-in to win this award.
Most Valuable Player:
Joe Burrow
Burrow was playing at a high level before getting injured last year and has now had plenty of time to recover. Assuming Ja'Marr Chase plays and Tee Higgins stays healthy their offense should have no issue putting up massive numbers yet again. With teams like New England, Washington, New York, and Carolina on the schedule, Burrow should be able to get back to that elite form pretty quickly. Looking at the rest of the Bengals' schedule this year, I don't see a world where they win under 11 games and that should have them in the running for the #1 seed in the AFC, which would even further his case to be the MVP.
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| (image via AP Photo/Jeff Dean) |
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