Bleacher Report's Picks for 2022-23 NFL Honors Awards
On Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will put a bow on the 2022-23 season with Super Bowl LVII. But before confetti rains down and a champion is crowned, there's still one order of business to attend to.
On Thursday at Symphony Hall in Phoenix, the NFL's best and brightest will gather for the 12th annual NFL Honors. Among the awards being announced are Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Most Valuable Player.
Ahead of Thursday's ceremony, Bleacher Report NFL Writers Gary Davenport, Brad Gagnon, Kristopher Knox, Maurice Moton, Brent Sobleski and Editor Wesley O'Donnell have gathered to offer their takes on both who Thursday's winners shouldl be and who will make up the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
Ladies and gentlemen, the first envelope please.
Coach of the Year
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TIE: Brian Daboll, New York Giants (2 votes); Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars (2 votes)
Coach of the Year is arguably the most wide-open award at this year's NFL Honors. There are a fistful of worthy candidates, and four different coaches received at least one vote from our panel. Two received multiple votes, setting up the first (and last) tie of our proceedings.
For Gagnon, the Jacksonville Jaguars' rebound from the NFL's worst record to first place in the AFC South and winning a playoff game was enough to get Doug Pederson the nod.
"Pederson came in and turned a 14-loss team into a playoff-caliber squad with the fortitude to overcome a 27-point deficit in a postseason game," he said. "The Jags offense went from last in scoring to the top 10 in just one year, and with the same quarterback. Getting both the team and Trevor Lawrence back on track in a major way is enough to earn him this award."
However, O'Donnell pointed to another first-year head coach who led his team to the postseason, singling out Brian Daboll of the New York Giants.
"The Giants weren't supposed to be relevant this year," he said. "They were going to preach patience to their fans after slashing the salary cap and bringing in a new regime from GM down to coaching staff down to the way they prepared down to the way they thought. But everyone in that building was picking up what Brian Daboll and staff were putting down. Whether injury-related or simply talent-bereft, Big Blue was at a disadvantage in almost every matchup on a weekly basis. Yet they won more games than they lost for the first time since 2016. They were best in the league against the spread with a 14-5 record. Daboll got the most of the players he had to work with and that is what a great coaching does. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of his roster. He helped turn Daniel Jones from potential bust into potential franchise-caliber QB. He earned the support of anyone that wants to wear a NYG logo—player, staff member or fan. There was some great coaching done in the NFL this year, but none was more important or impactful than that of Brian Daboll and his staff."
Others receiving votes: Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers (1 vote); Nick Sirianni, Philadelphia Eagles (1 vote)
Offensive Player of the Year
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Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (3 votes)
The Minnesota Vikings have had more than a few great wide receivers over the franchise's history, including Ahmad Rashad, Cris Carter and Randy Moss.
It's still too early to call Justin Jefferson the best of the lot—but over the first three seasons of his career, Jefferson isn't just on track to be the most prolific receiver the Vikings have ever had. His 4,825 receiving yards are the most any receiver has ever had over his first three seasons.
That's not the only record that Jefferson has already added to his professional resume. Every season, Jefferson has amassed more receiving yards than the year before, and in 2022 that equated to 128 receptions and 1,809 yards. Both numbers are Vikings' single-season records. Jefferson was a unanimous first-team All-Pro and is the lone non-quarterback finalist for Most Valuable Player.
Jefferson's chances of winning MVP might not be great—there has been just one non-QB named Most Valuable Player since 2007. But in Davenport's opinion, Jefferson deserves to be named Offensive Player of the Year.
"Even in an NFL that is loaded with elite wide receivers," he said, "Jefferson has found a way to stand apart from the pack. To date, his average season has been 108 catches for over 1,600 yards and eight scores. Jefferson averaged over 106 receiving yards per game last season and surpassed the century mark in 10 of 17 games. It's not like opponents don't know that Jefferson is going to be a focal point of the Vikings offense—his 184 targets in 2022 led the league. But knowing what's coming and being able to do something about it are two very different things."
Others receiving votes: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (2 votes); Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (1 vote)
Defensive Player of the Year
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Nick Bosa, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers (6 votes)
There were no shortage of standout defensive performances in 2022, whether it was Maxx Crosby of the Raiders piling up 89 total tackles and 12.5 sacks, Jacksonville's Foyesade Oluokun leading the league in total stops for the second consecutive season or rookie cornerback Tariq Woolen of the Seahawks tying for the league lead with six interceptions.
But as Sobleski pointed out, in the opinion of our panel there is no question who the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
It's Nick Bosa's world. Everyone else is just living in it.
"Bosa is the easy choice as the league's leading sack artist, while leading the game's best defense," Sobleski said. "So it comes as no surprise that he became B/R's unanimous choice for this award. But the consistency and importance of his performance are what really drives the 49ers defense. Bosa is both a standout pass-rusher and rocksteady run defender. When offenses comprise their game plans, they revolve around stopping the defense end. He's regularly double- and tripled-teamed, which sets the table for everyone else among his unit. Even still, Bosa ranked among the league's best in total pressures, pass-rush win rate and defensive stops. He also sets the tone for the league's top-ranked D with his relentless nature. He's never going to give up on a play and often finds ways to get involved. A true difference-maker and game-changer."
It's not hard to see why the panel feels that way—Bosa eclipsed 50 tackles for the second straight season, paced the NFL with 18.5 sacks and racked up a jaw-dropping 48 QB hits.
Now it's time for Bosa to get a new contract—one that will likely reset the market for non-quarterbacks and sail past the $102 million in total guarantees that older brother Joey got from the Chargers.
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Offensive Rookie of the Year
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Garrett Wilson, WR, New York Jets (4 votes)
The 2022 NFL season certainly didn't hurt for big performances from first-year players on offense. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy went from the final pick of the 2022 draft to leading the Niners to the NFC Championship Game. Ken Walker III of the Seahawks piled up 1,050 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. And former Ohio State teammates Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson each eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards for the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets respectively.
However, while Knox admitted that there were a number of worthy candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year, for his money it's Wilson who stands out as the No. 1 offensive rookie of the class of 2022.
"Other rookies—including Chris Olave, Ken Walker III, Drake London and Tyler Linderbaum—were deserving of consideration here," he said. "However, Wilson's campaign was remarkable, especially considering New York's quarterback situation. The Ohio State product played with the stunning combination of Joe Flacco, Mike White, Chris Streveler and Zach Wilson. He still topped 1,100 yards with 83 receptions and four touchdowns.
"Just as importantly," Knox continued, "Wilson provided a passer rating of 86.6 when targeted. That may not seem overly impressive, but it was well above New York's collective quarterback rating of 75.0. Wilson brought big-play ability and dependability to the proverbial table while elevating the quarterbacks under center. That's what a No. 1 receiver is supposed to do and why OROY is likely to be the first of many NFL awards for Wilson."
Three of Knox's colleagues (and the Pro Football Writers of America) agreed.
Others receiving votes: Ken Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks (2 votes)
Defensive Rookie of the Year
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Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner, CB, New York Jets (5 votes)
So New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas had himself a year.
Per Zion Oledeje of Complex, cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner entered his first professional season with three individual goals. Just one remains unfulfilled.
"That was one of my three goals," he said. "Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and Defensive Rookie of the Year. I collected two of those accolades so far… I'm looking forward to seeing if I can get that Defensive Rookie of the Year."
Gardner was already named both the top defensive rookie and top rookie overall by the PFWA. And as Moton wrote, the former Cincinnati star was easily the top defensive rookie in 2022.
"Seattle Seahawks fans will toss cornerback Tariq Woolen in the discussion for this award. Though he's one of four defenders with a league-leading six interceptions, Sauce Gardner's coverage numbers look a bit more impressive from a big-picture perspective," he said. "Yes, Gardner led the NFL in pass breakups (20) for the 2022 season, but he also only allowed 9.8 yards per completion and just one touchdown in coverage. Meanwhile, Woolen gave up 12.3 yards per completion and three touchdowns. Per ESPN's Field Yates, Gardner is the first rookie cornerback to get a first-team All-Pro nod in 41 years, which is quite the distinction that separates him from his peers."
Woolen was able to garner one vote from our writers. But if this vote is any indication, Gardner will accomplish that third individual goal at the NFL Honors on Thursday.
Others receiving votes: Tariq Woolen, CB, Seattle Seahawks (1 vote)
Comeback Player of the Year
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Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks (3 votes)
Comeback Player of the Year can be a tricky award to predict—in part because there's no ironclad definition of what constitutes a "comeback."
If making a triumphant return from injury is how you define it, then Christian McCaffrey of the 49ers is certainly a deserving candidate. After losing most of the 2020 and 2021 seasons to injury, McCaffrey surged back to stardom in San Francisco in 2022, topping 1,200 yards from scrimmage in just 11 games with the team. New York's Saquon Barkley enjoyed a similar rebound this year.
However, for Sobleski (and two other writers here at Bleacher Report), there was no bigger comeback in 2022 than Geno Smith's emergence as the starting quarterback in Seattle.
"What if I told you that the Seattle Seahawks traded a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, the franchise's all-time leading passer and arguably the greatest player in the team's history, yet got better at the position? Well, it's true. Russell Wilson's play severely declined after he was traded to the Denver Broncos this past offseason. Smith, meanwhile, went on to lead the NFL with a 69.8 completion percentage and broke the Seahawks' single-season passing record with 4,282 yards," he said.
"The performance came after nearly everyone wrote off the one-time second-round draft bust," Sobleski continued. "After leaving the New York Jets, Smith spent 2017 with the New York Giants and 2018 with the Los Angeles Chargers before finding a home as Wilson's backup for three years. Now, Smith is line for the franchise tag or a massive contract extension. Not too shabby."
Smith was eighth in the league in passing yards. Fourth in touchdown passes. First in completion percentage.
And first in Comeback Player of the Year voting here at B/R.
Others receiving votes: Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (2 votes); Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants (1 vote)
Fantasy Player of the Year
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TIE: Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers (2 votes); Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs (2 votes)
In 2021, Austin Ekeler of the Los Angeles Chargers paced the league with 20 total touchdowns—numbers that landed him inside the top five in many drafts in 2022. As Colin Gorini wrote for RotoBaller, not only did Ekeler justify that asking price, but he made a pretty compelling case to be the No. 1 overall pick in fantasy drafts in 2023.
"The 27-year-old back from Western Colorado tied Christian McCaffrey's 107-catch 2018 season for the second-most receptions by a running back all-time.
"He also totaled a career-high 1,637 yards from scrimmage and led the league with 18 total touchdowns. Make it back-to-back years of Austin Ekeler leading the league in touchdowns. He's scored 12 more times than anybody over the past two years.
"Ekeler finished as a top-eight running back in eleven weeks this year. His only game with under 10 points occurred in Week 18, a game in which he played three quarters. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts were the only players to outscore Austin Ekeler this year. He paced all backs with a 21.9-point per-game average in full-PPR format."
However, as great as Ekeler was in 2022, Bleacher Report's resident two-time FSWA Football Writer of the Year was one of two scribes who tabbed Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce as the Fantasy Player of the Year.
"It's not just that Kelce was the highest-scoring fantasy tight end—again," Davenport said. "It's a matter of his complete and total dominance at the position. For the season, Kelce outscored the No. 2 tight end by almost 100 PPR points. If you had Kelce on your roster, you were essentially spotted an extra touchdown each week—at least. Ekeler was great in 2022. So was Justin Jefferson. And Josh Jacobs. And Jalen Hurts. But no one owned his position like Kelce owned the tight ends."
Others receiving votes: Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (1 vote); Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings (1 vote)
Breakout Player of the Year
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Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (4 votes)
It was a two-man race for Breakout Player of the Year honors here at Bleacher Report. One is a veteran who led the league in rushing yards. The other is a young quarterback who rebounded in a big way from a disappointing rookie campaign.
For two panelists (including O'Donnell), the massive season turned in by Raiders running back Josh Jacobs earned him BPOY honors.
"It's always difficult to call a former first-round pick from the college football juggernaut that is Alabama, who had already turned in two 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career, a breakout player, but Josh Jacobs warrants the recognition," he said. "In his fourth NFL season, the soon-to-be 25-year-old led the league in yards from scrimmage (2,053) and earned a rushing title. He was one of the very few bright spots on a 6-11 Raiders that failed to live up to expectations. The overall numbers, which are all almost career highs across the board, are only part of the story. How Jacobs carried himself throughout the year, looking like he fully arrived, was great to see, and that's the defining characteristic of a breakout player. Jacobs was a good player filled with potential who became great and reliable in 2022."
However, in the 21st-century NFL, quarterbacks get the glory. And four voters (including Moton) tagged Jaguars signal-caller Trevor Lawrence as this season's biggest breakout performer.
"If you're looking at an unheralded player who made a tremendous leap, check out Carolina Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu (111 tackles, 19 for loss, seven sacks, 13 pressures, four pass breakups and an interception). With that said, we know off-ball linebackers don't move the needle like quarterbacks, and Trevor Lawrence fulfilled the expectations of a former No. 1 overall pick," he said.
"Lawrence turned the corner in November," Moton continued. "From Week 9 through the end of the regular season, he threw for 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions, leading his team to an AFC South division title. Though this is a regular-season award, we would be remiss to not mention his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in the third-largest comeback victory in playoff history. In some football poetic way, Lawrence's production in the second half of that AFC Wild Card Game symbolized his breakout in the second half of the 2022 campaign."
Others receiving votes: Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders (2 votes)
Most Improved Player
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Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (4 votes)
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will meet in Super Bowl LVII. And while a number of factors helped get the Eagles this far, there's no way Philly would be the NFC champion had Jalen Hurts not made a huge step forward in 2022.
While speaking to reporters on Monday, Eagles quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson lauded the progress that Hurts has made in his second season as the team's starter.
"He's done a great job so far. It's been a really, really long season and he's obviously put in a lot of work to get himself ready to play," Johnson said. "He's battled and I'm excited to get to this point and watch him play on Sunday. He's done an excellent job in terms of understanding the system and being more comfortable. He's put himself in a position to play really well on a consistent basis.
"When we started this thing and wanted to come into Year 2, one of the main things was consistency down in and down out and he's been able to do that, so I'm really excited and proud that he's been able to play really well this season."
Knox also applauded Hurts' progress this year—pointing out that while Seattle's Geno Smith gets a ton of credit for his breakout season in 2022, Hurts may well have improved by an even wider margin.
"I get the love for Geno Smith, but Smith was just as impressive (5 TDs, 1 INT, 103.0 rating) last year, albeit in a mere three-start window," he said. "Congrats to him for getting the opportunity to showcase his skill for a full season.
"Hurts, on the other hand, was good in 2021 but not close to being an MVP candidate. Adding A.J. Brown and having another year under Nick Sirianni helped, but Hurts took massive strides in his decisiveness, pre-snap recognition, accuracy and timing. His completion rate jumped from 61.3 percent to 66.5 percent, his TD-INT ratio improved from 16-9 to 22-6, and his passer rating spiked from 97.2 to 101.5. Tagovailoa, Garoppolo and Mahomes were the only qualifying QBs to finish with a higher rating. (Is this where we say one of those things is not like the others?) Along the way, Hurts maintained his prowess as a running threat, actually improving in rushing touchdowns (from 10 to 13) and yards per carry (9.3 to 11)."
Knox isn't alone in that assessment.
Others receiving votes: Geno Smith, QB, Seattle Seahawks (1 vote); Andrew Thomas, OT, New York Giants (1 vote)
The 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class
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Individual accolades aren't the only thing being awarded at Thursday's NFL Honors. The class of 2023 for the Pro Football Hall of Fame will also be announced.
Some years, it can be difficult to come up with five truly worthy inductees. That most assuredly is not the case this year. In fact, 11 of the modern-era finalists earned at least one vote from our panelists. However, just five got a "yes" vote from at least half our voters.
OT Joe Thomas (6 votes): One of two unanimous selections, Thomas spent his entire 11-year career with the Cleveland Browns. A 10-time Pro Bowler and six-time first-team All-Pro. Thomas is arguably the best left tackle the game has ever seen. He was also remarkably durable, playing every offensive snap for the Browns over the first 10 seasons of his career.
CB Darrelle Revis (6 votes): Over 11 seasons with the Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots and Chiefs, Revis made it to seven Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro four times. Revis intercepted 29 passes over his career and won Super Bowl XLIX with New England. For the better part of a decade, the last place a wide receiver wanted to be was marooned on "Revis Island."
LB Zach Thomas (4 votes): Thomas spent over a decade manning the middle of the defense for the Miami Dolphins, making it to seven Pro Bowls and earning first-team All-Pro honors five times in the process. Thomas tallied over 150 total tackles in six different seasons, leading the league in stops in 2002 and 2006.
EDGE DeMarcus Ware (4 votes): A 12-year veteran who amassed 138.5 career sacks (the ninth-most since sacks became an official statistic in 1982), Ware was a two-time sack king, nine-time Pro Bowler and four-time first-team All-Pro with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. A member of the NFL's All-2000s Team, Ware won Super Bowl 50 with Denver.
WR Torry Holt (3 votes): A key member of "The Greatest Show on Turf" offense that propelled the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl win and a second Super Bowl appearance in a three-year stretch, Holt made it to seven Pro Bowls over 11 seasons, leading the NFL in receiving yards in 2000 and 2003. Holt posted eight consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and ranks 17th all-time in receiving yards.
Others receiving votes: KR Devin Hester (2 votes); EDGE Jared Allen (1 vote), OT Willie Anderson (1 vote); CB Ronde Barber (1 vote); LB Patrick Willis (1 vote); S Darren Woodson (1 vote)
Most Valuable Player
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Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs (6 votes)
Here we are. The highlight of the NFL Honors. The biggest individual award of them all.
And if our vote here at Bleacher Report is any indication, the MVP race was a runaway.
Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs has already been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player once, and he's also one of 32 finalists for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. While speaking to reporters in Arizona, Mahomes said that while his focus is on Super Bowl LVII and the Philadelphia Eagles, he's also trying to take a moment to enjoy the individual accolades.
"I think it gives you a great appreciation of this sport, man," Mahomes said (h/t Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams). "The hard work you put in every single and playing these last few years and not being up for the award, I think it gives me even better appreciation. It's something at the end of my career, I want to look back and say, 'Man, I was able to win the MVP once and hopefully have a chance to win it again this year,' and then, maybe more importantly than that, the Walter Payton Man of the Year. It's something that takes more than just me. I have so many people who help me with my foundation to help run it. You want to give back and make Kansas City a better than when you got there. But it speaks to the people I have around me and the community that I live in that I'm able to give back to Kansas City so much, and I'm honored to even be up for this award."
In Gagnon's opinion, Mahomes can relax and enjoy the moment—because he's the obvious choice to be named MVP.
"Mahomes lost one of the best wide receivers in the league and still led the Chiefs to the top seed in the AFC as the league's highest-scoring offense," he said. "He dominated all quarterbacks in QBR and touchdown passes in the process. This is a no-brainer."
Given the unanimous nature of this vote, no one's lining up to argue with him.
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