Bleacher Report's Picks for 2023-24 NFL Honors Awards
It's black tie time in the NFL.
Thursday night at the Resorts World Arena in Las Vegas, the 14th Annual NFL Honors will be held. Players will run elbows with celebrities while dressed to the nines. Keegan-Michael Key (hosting for the second time in three years) will tell some jokes. And the league will hand out its individual accolades, from Coach of the Year to Defensive Player of the Year to Most Valuable Player.
Well, here at Bleacher Report we don't have a fancy theater. As it happens, we do not have a Keegan-Michael Key either. And more days than not, we're dressed to the threes.
But that hasn't stopped us from taking our shot at handing out some hardware of our own—well, short the actual hardware. Gary Davenport, Brad Gagnon, Ian Hanford, Kristopher Knox, Maurice Moton, Brent Sobleski and Bryan Toporek gathered together to cast votes in a number of categories, from Offensive Rookie of the Year to Fantasy Player of the Year to (again) MVP.
The first envelope, please.
Coach of the Year
1 of 10
DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (5 votes)
There were several coaches who did excellent jobs overcoming adversity and/or exceeding expectations in 2023.
Dan Campbell led the Detroit Lions to within a game of the Super Bowl for the first time in over 30 years. Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns became the first coach in league history to lead a team to the playoffs that started five quarterbacks over the course of the regular season.
But in Hanford's opinion, the clear Coach of the Year is DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans.
"Campbell, John Harbaugh, Kyle Shanahan and Stefanski all coached playoff teams this season, but there's one major difference between their success and DeMeco Ryans' coaching debut in Houston," he said. "Those teams were expected to be good. The Texans went from 3-13-1 a year ago to going 10-7, winning the AFC South and beating Stefanski's Browns in the wild-card playoffs. Drafting the potential OROY and DROY in C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. certainly helps, but Ryans instilled the culture on the field and instantly turned a team from pretender to one of the brightest young squads in the NFL."
The panel appears to agree—Ryans was the runaway winner, and the only coach to receive multiple votes.
Others Receiving Votes: Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions (1 vote); Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (1 vote)
Offensive Player of the Year
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Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (7 votes)
We have our first unanimous vote, and it's a hard one to argue with—especially if you believe that Offensive Player of the Year should be reserved for a non-quarterback.
Come on—signal-callers get enough glory. Spread it around a little.
There isn't much that San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey didn't do in helping lead the Niners to Super Bowl LVIII. He led the league by a wide margin with 1,459 rushing yards. He surpassed 2,000 yards from scrimmage and scored a whopping 21 total touchdowns. And teammate Kyle Juszczyk told reporters that he believes the 27-year-old McCaffrey is the best player in the NFL—period.
"I really think he's the best football player I've ever seen," Juszczyk added. "I'm convinced that if he played wide receiver, he would be an All-Pro wide receiver. He sees the field like a quarterback. He understands the game very well. He runs between the tackles, he runs outside the tackles, he can break tackles, he can outrun people, he's great in pass protection, he runs routes, he blocks for other people. You can't ask him to do anything else. I mean, he's thrown touchdowns. He's incredible."
McCaffrey is a no-brainer pick for Offensive Player of the Year for Gagnon.
"This has become the best non-quarterback award, and it's only fitting that the player who led the NFL in both yardage and scoring takes the crown," he said. "It's allowed to be that simple, people."
No one among our writers is debating the point.
Defensive Player of the Year
3 of 10
Myles Garrett, EDGE, Cleveland Browns (4 votes)
It's something of a golden age for edge-rushers in the NFL. Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns and Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders are all game-wrecking talents in the prime of their careers.
Watt's 19 sacks led the league this year, and in Davenport's opinion, that merits the seven-year veteran his second Defensive Player of the Year award in three years.
"Since 2017, Watt's 96.5 sacks are eight more than the next closest player—and that's with Watt missing a big chunk of the 2022 season," he said. There are a number of legitimate candidates to be named DPOY this season, but Watt's campaign was as good as any—and he's the best defensive player in the league. The black and gold standard, if you will."
However, in a close vote it was Garrett who brought home Bleacher Report's DPOY award, with Hanford making the case for the 2017 first overall pick.
"I don't think anyone would complain if Parsons or Watt won this award, but I'm going with Garrett," he said. "Garrett finished the year with 14 sacks despite being double-teamed at the second-highest rate in the NFL among edge-rushers (behind only Parsons). He also had four forced fumbles and grades as a high-quality run defender. Watch any Browns game and it's impossible not to watch Garrett operate. He was the most dominant force on arguably the league's best defense this season, and it's way past time for him to earn his first DPOY honor."
Others Receiving Votes: T.J. Watt, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers (3 votes)
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Offensive Rookie of the Year
4 of 10
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans (7 votes)
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua needs a hug.
In any other season, Nacua would be a lock to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. After all, the fifth-round pick set new rookie records for both receptions (105) and receiving yards (1,486). The latter number broke a record that had stood for over 60 years.
But quarterbacks get the glory in the NFL. And as Knox wrote, while Nacua had a fantastic season, C.J. Stroud of the Houston Texans arguably had an even better one.
"There are two legitimate candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and it would be fitting to see Nacua and Stroud somehow share the award," he said. "Nacua set a new rookie record with 1,486 receiving yards, while Stroud had perhaps the most impressive rookie season by a quarterback of the modern era. Stroud passed for 4,108 yards with 23 touchdowns while leading Houston to a division title and leading the NFL in interception percentage (1.0 percent) among qualifying quarterbacks."
"While the numbers were impressive," Knox continued, "Stroud's command of the offense, poise in the pocket and ability to diagnose defenses was even more so. The entire B/R panel picked Stroud, which showcases just how impressive the Ohio State product was. In virtually any other season, Nacua would be the easy and likely unanimous choice."
Defensive Rookie of the Year
5 of 10
Will Anderson, EDGE, Houston Texans (6 votes)
It was a good year for Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio. And for the second time in as many years, we could see an Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year come from the same team.
Edge-rusher Will Anderson was drafted just after C.J. Stroud, and just like the young quarterback Anderson was as advertised—45 total tackles, seven sacks and 22 quarterback hits.
Those numbers earned Anderson a Pro Bowl nod, and he told reporters in Orlando that winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors was a goal of his entering the season.
"It was on my goal sheet, 100 percent," Anderson said. "It was marked big on my goal sheet: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. Just to be in this position is a blessing."
The panelists here at B/R believe Anderson will accomplish that goal. But Sobleski dissented, pointing out the great debut year quietly had by Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Kobie Turner.
"Turner deserves recognition for how well he played in relative anonymity," Sobleski said. "Even though Anderson finished with a higher pressure rate, Turner led all rookies with nine sacks. The difference between the two comes down to what an organization values, either a top-shelf edge-rusher or interior game-wrecker. Both were outstanding, with Turner making this a tighter race than anyone ever expected after being a third-round selection."
Others Receiving Votes: Kobie Turner, DL, Los Angeles Rams (1 vote)
Comeback Player of the Year
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Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns (4 votes)
In the eyes of most, Comeback Player of the Year is a two-horse race—one that comes down to whether you believe playing at all matters more than playing well.
Usually, that would be an easy call. But after suffering cardiac arrest and nearly dying on the field in front of a national TV audience in Week 17 of the 2022 season, the fact that Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin played at all this season is pretty amazing.
However, for Knox, what Joe Flacco was able to accomplish after going from the sofa to the starting lineup for the Cleveland Browns was even more remarkable.
"Hamlin's story is both remarkable and inspiring, and it's impressive that he was on the field at all in 2023," Knox said. "With no real criteria for the CPOY award, his 111 total snaps may be enough to win it. When looking at on-field performance, though, Joe Flacco's phoenix-like rise from the ranks of the forgotten was just as unexpected. Left by the wayside by the entire league—including the New York Jets—until late November, the aging signal-caller had his own made-for-TV-movie run.
"Flacco went 4-1 during the regular season, throwing for 1,616 yards and 13 touchdowns—albeit with eight interceptions—while salvaging Cleveland's season and sending the Browns to the playoffs," Knox continued. "His feast-or-famine style of play eventually cost the Browns in the Wild Card Round, but it was a remarkable comeback by a quarterback that no one believed even had backup potential."
Three other voters agreed—enough to put Flacco over the top here.
Others Receiving Votes: Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills (2 votes); Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 vote)
Fantasy Player of the Year
7 of 10
Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (5 votes)
For some of our voters, selecting the Fantasy Player of the Year was easy—pick the running back who outscored every other player at the position by over 120 PPR points.
"Take Week 18 out of the equation (which should be meaningless for fantasy leagues), and Christian McCaffrey led all skill-position players this year with 391.3 PPR points," Toporek said. "Travis Etienne Jr. of the Jacksonville Jaguars was the next-closest running back with 268.7 PPR points. The gap between McCaffrey and Etienne (122.6 PPR points) was bigger than the one between Etienne and Houston's Devin Singletary, who finished 32nd among running backs in PPR points.
"If you had the No. 1 overall pick and took McCaffrey, you had a roughly 30 percent chance of taking home your league's championship on Yahoo this year," he continued. "If you had the No. 1 overall pick and took Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, your season was likely over by Thanksgiving. Such is life when you're picking at the top of the first round."
However, our resident award-winning fantasy expert (Davenport) looks at this award through a different lens.
"McCaffrey had a great season, to be sure," he said. "But he was a top-five pick. Both Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua of the Rams weren't even on the fantasy radar in July and turned in top-five seasons at their respective positions. That's even more impressive when you consider that Williams missed significant time—in terms of PPR points per game, only McCaffrey outscored him among running backs. Success in fantasy football is about getting value—and Williams was the biggest steal of 2023 at fantasy's most important position."
Others Receiving Votes: Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (1 vote); Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams (1 vote)
Breakout Player of the Year
8 of 10
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams (4 votes)
This was the tightest race of the lot with our panelists, who were split nearly down the middle between Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua.
Gagnon represented the group who felt that Love's late-season surge and leading the Packers to a playoff berth earned him the nod in his first season as the Packers' starter under center.
"Yeah, I see you guys with Puka Nacua," he said. "But I just don't think this award is meant for a rookie. Aren't all rookies breaking out to various degrees? Love might be a first-year starter, but his case is different considering how much he struggled behind Aaron Rodgers and even early this season before completely blooming as the campaign progressed. With a 108.2 passer rating in his last 10 regular-season games before lighting up the Cowboys in a road playoff win, he looks like the real deal now."
However, Toporek isn't buying what Gagnon's selling regarding Nacua's first-year status hurting his candidacy.
"Our panel was deservingly split here between Jordan Love and Puka Nacua," he said. "But haven't we seen this story from the Packers before? The NFL scriptwriters already used the 'first-round quarterback sits for three years behind a franchise legend before taking over as the longtime starter' storyline in Green Bay!
"While the extent of Love's breakout might not have been foreseeable, absolutely no one expected a fifth-round rookie to supplant a recent NFL Triple Crown winner as Matthew Stafford's favorite target this year," he went on. "Lo and behold, that's exactly what Nacua did. He established an early rapport with Stafford while Cooper Kupp was sidelined early in the year, and he picked right back up late in the Rams' playoff push, culminating in nine catches for 181 yards and one touchdown in their close Wild Card Round loss to the Detroit Lions. When a fifth-round pick sets an NFL rookie record for both receptions and receiving yards, you know he did something right."
Something about breaking a yardage record older than every voter on the panel got Nacua the all-important fourth vote that put him over the top.
Others Receiving Votes: Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers (3 votes)
Most Improved Player of the Year
9 of 10
Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4 votes)
Whenever you gather a group of pundits together, two things are bound to happen. The first is lots of snacks—we are a snack-eating people.
The second is dissension. Frankly, there wasn't as much as in some past seasons. But the hand-holding and song-singing hit the brakes here, with Moton (and Toporek) taking exception to Baker Mayfield's selection as the Most Improved Player of 2023.
"We all know that the NFL is quarterback-centric, so no one should be surprised that Baker Mayfield received most of the votes among our B/R panel," Moton said. "He's a viable candidate for the award, leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to an NFC South title. However, we already saw Mayfield play fairly well as a rookie and in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns.
"Kyren Williams made the leap from a backup running back who missed seven games in his rookie year because of a high ankle sprain to a Pro Bowl ball-carrier who led the league in rushing yards per game (95.3) and ranked third in total rushing yards for the 2023 term," he continued. "Yes, Mayfield plays the glamour position, but Williams made a bigger improvement in terms of production."
However, Davenport rode to the defense of his compatriots who voted for the first overall pick in the 2018 draft.
"It wasn't much fun for Browns fans to watch," he said. "But Mayfield just had the best season of his career—personal bests in completion percentage (64.3), passing yards (4,044) and passing touchdowns (28) with a passer rating just under 95. A year ago at this point, Mayfield appeared headed toward a future as a marginal starter (at best) or backup. Now, there should be considerable demand for his services in free agency, whether it's in Tampa or somewhere like Pittsburgh or Las Vegas. One thing's for sure—after playing on a one-year, $4 million pact in 2023, Mayfield's paycheck is going to see all kinds of improvement in 2024."
Others Receiving Votes: Kyren Williams, RB, Los Angeles Rams (2 votes); DaRon Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys (1 vote)
Most Valuable Player
10 of 10
Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens (7 votes)
Yes, Lamar Jackson had an AFC Championship Game to forget. But that misstep didn't stop the 27-year-old from being an easy call for our panel as the 2023 NFL MVP.
"Critics will nitpick Lamar Jackson's standout season with comments about his rank in completions (17th with 307), passing yards (15th with 3,678 yards) and passing touchdowns (tied for 11th with 24), but they typically leave out how he impacts games with his legs, which opens up the field for his receivers downfield and the Baltimore Ravens ground attack," Moton said. "For the 2023 season, Jackson accounted for 4,499 yards passing and rushing, which means he helped generate about 71 percent of the Ravens' 6,296 total offensive yards.
"If the naysayers took a critical look at Jackson's numbers and how much his productivity factored into Baltimore's fourth-ranked scoring offense," he added, "which propelled the club to the No. 1 seed in the AFC and best record across the NFL, they would understand why he's the clear-cut 2023 league MVP."
Sobleski agrees.
"It's time to put all the narratives about Jackson to bed," he wrote. "He shouldn't have been converted to wide receiver. He's not a poor passer whose only value is running the ball. He's not incapable of leading a top-notch offense. He can carry a team. The Ravens have now won two playoff games with him behind center. The goal-post shifting with Jackson is unlike anyone we've seen in the modern NFL. For some, he simply doesn't fit the traditional mold, so his performance will never be fully accepted. Those who feel as such are dinosaurs staring at a meteor about to wipe out their perceived existence.
"Jackson secured every single vote from the B/R panel," Sobleski went on. "Why? Well, he finished top five overall in yards per attempt, quarterback rating and QBR. He graded higher than anyone when pushing the ball 10 or more yards downfield, per Pro Football Focus. The quarterback added 975 yards on the ground. Oh, his team finished with the league's best regular-season record as well. Jackson is unique and dynamic, which is why he's the easy choice to become a two-time MVP."
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