Dark-Horse Candidates to Win Each NFL Award for 2026 Season

Every NFL offseason sees familiar names tend to dominate the conversation and lead the list of favorites for the league's major awards.

Reigning MVPs, perennial All-Pros and previous finalists at the NFL Honors ceremony generate most of the hype and draw the most bets, but players and coaches who slipped under the radar in 2025 can find themselves on stage accepting a trophy in February.

With training camp around the corner, there's no better time to look past the usual favorites and identify some long shots who could provide a massive return on investment come awards season.

Using odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, we've picked out one dark-horse candidate for each major NFL award: MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, both Rookie of the Year awards and Protector of the Year.

While none of these picks are front-runners and all face uphill battles to win their respective race, each has a legitimate case to garner recognition at the end of the 2026 NFL season.

With that in mind, let's highlight the top dark-horse candidates for each 2026 NFL award.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: WR Antonio Williams, Washington Commanders (+3000)

AP Photo/Nick Wass

Antonio Williams dropped all the way to the third round of the 2026 NFL draft before the Washington Commanders stopped his fall. The Clemson product could quickly make the rest of the league regret passing on him multiple times.

Williams had Day 1 potential prior to a disappointing redshirt junior season. After racking up personal bests of 904 yards and 11 touchdowns on 75 catches in 2024, the wideout took a step back with the rest of the Tigers and only slashed a 55/604/4 line last year.

Injuries played a part in the regression, with a nagging hamstring costing him three games and limiting him in others last year. Those issues are now in the past and Williams is on the cusp of playing a large role for a Commanders squad desperate for one of its young pass-catchers to break out.

Washington general manager Adam Peters heaped praise on Williams following the selection, highlighting the receiver's football IQ, instincts, competitive nature, athleticism and speed as assets that will help him thrive at the NFL level.

Williams should get ample opportunity from the jump, as there are far more questions than answers in the Commanders' receiving corps outside of No. 1 wideout Terry McLaurin.

If Williams establishes a fast rapport with Jayden Daniels and carves out a critical possession role within this passing attack, he'll rack up incredible numbers and potentially run away with the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Given Williams' 30-1 odds are the ninth best in the OROY field, it's one of the top low-risk, high-reward award bets you can make this offseason.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: S Dillon Thieneman, Chicago Bears (+2700)

AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The Chicago Bears had a clear hole at safety heading into the 2026 NFL draft. The franchise found the perfect piece to fill it when it drafted Oregon standout Dillon Thieneman at No. 25 overall.

Thieneman has real potential to make a run at the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. At 27-1, he is tied with Malachi Lawrence—the Dallas Cowboys edge-rusher taken two picks ahead of him—for the 10th-best odds in this race.

While he's not a front-runner for the honor, Thieneman could vault to the top of the favorites list with a fast start to his NFL career. The safety is the fast, athletic playmaker the Chicago secondary has sorely lacked, opening the door for him to start all 17 games and rarely, if ever, come off the field.

That playing time will inevitably lead to numerous interceptions for Thieneman. The ballhawk reeled in six as a true freshman at Purdue and added two more during his final collegiate campaign last year. When he's not picking off quarterbacks, he will be amassing tons of tackles—evidenced by the eye-popping 306 he totaled in three seasons.

There may be a slight adjustment period for Thieneman as he acclimates to the speed of the professional game, but the safety will be able to keep up after posting a ridiculous 4.35-second 40-yard dash time at the scouting combine.

Factor in his strength (18 reps on the bench), leaping ability (41-inch vertical) and size (6', 201 pounds) and it's obvious Thieneman is the total package for a Bears program excited to leverage his talents.

Don't hesitate to get in on Thieneman's Defensive Rookie of the Year chances at 27-1. Those odds won't last long, especially if he shows out and makes big plays over the first few weeks of the 2026 NFL season.

Coach of the Year: Aaron Glenn, New York Jets (+3000)

AP Photo/Seth Wenig

The Coach of the Year award is one of the more controversial NFL honors, with many of the league's best coaches failing to win it despite coaxing consistently great performances from their rosters.

That shouldn't change in 2026, especially with the list of favorites including the likes of John Harbaugh, Jesse Minter, Kevin Stefanski and Kellen Moore—quality coaches for teams not expected to rate as the league's very best.

One candidate being slept on is Aaron Glenn. The New York Jets' head coach is in the bottom-half of the field with 30-1 odds, but Glenn's path to the award is far clearer than most. He simply needs to guide Gang Green to a playoff appearance to win it.

There is plenty of precedent for the Coach of the Year award being given to the person who managed to lift a slumping franchise out of the gutter. Kevin Stefanski won two of the last six awards for his work with the Cleveland Browns, securing the hardware by guiding the downtrodden program to a pair of 11-win seasons and subsequent postseason berths in both 2020 and 2023.

New York hasn't been to the playoffs since 2010, making the last of their back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances under Rex Ryan that season. Considering the Jets have been mired in the longest postseason drought of any NFL team by a large margin, it shouldn't even take a double-digit number of wins for Glenn to win the award.

Glenn is the fourth head coaching hire New York has made since Ryan's departure after the 2014 season and is already on the hot seat after a dismal 3-14 debut campaign, but he could secure his job and the Coach of the Year award with a .500 or better season that results in a Wild Card berth.

Comeback Player: QB Tua Tagovailoa, Atlanta Falcons (+4500)

AP Photo/Mike Stewart

Tua Tagovailoa's career has been pockmarked by injury, but the polarizing signal-caller could finally find consistent success—and health—now that he's with the Atlanta Falcons.

Tagovailoa was released by the Miami Dolphins following a second consecutive sub-.500 campaign, a disappointing downturn for a player who orchestrated the league's top offense in 2023. He's also gone from a well-compensated starter to needing to beat out Michael Penix Jr. to remain in a QB1 role.

Given Atlanta is in the midst of the NFL's second-longest active playoff drought and has a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, it would be rather surprising if Tagovailoa doesn't usurp the incumbent in training camp. The new regime isn't tied to the last's controversial first-round pick and wants to hit the ground running—the same way Stefanski stepped in and helped the Cleveland Browns reach the playoffs in his first season six years ago.

B/R NFL insider James Palmer recently revealed that Tua is the "front-runner with an asterisk" for the top job, noting that Penix's lack of medical clearance ahead of training camp is a major concern for the team's 2025 starter. If Tagovailoa seizes the QB1 role, he'll have the elite supporting cast—led by first-round skill position stars in Drake London, Kyle Pitts and Bijan Robinson—needed to re-emerge as one of the NFL's top passers.

Tagovailoa's 45-1 odds for Comeback Player of the Year are simply too alluring to ignore. While fellow veteran castoff Kyler Murray is in a similar situation after being released from the Arizona Cardinals and landing with the Minnesota Vikings, he represents a far worse value at +550 odds to win the Comeback Player of the Year award.

Protector of the Year: C Tyler Linderbaum, Las Vegas Raiders (+2200)

AP Photo/John Locher

The NFL's newest award is Protector of the Year—an honor created to give some much-deserved recognition to the league's top offensive linemen. Joe Thuney took home the inaugural award last year, but the Chicago Bears guard will face an rough road attempting to repeat.

Backing Thuney at 35-1 isn't a bad long-shot play, but Las Vegas Raiders center Tyler Linderbaum offers a better shot at winning while still paying out a solid $22 for every $1 wagered.

Linderbaum's is tied with four other offensive linemen—a group that includes new teammate Kolton Miller—for the 11th best in the field. He may not man the glamorous left tackle position or compete for a Super Bowl favorite, but Linderbaum was one of the main prizes of the 2026 free-agent class and will be eager to live up to his record-setting contract.

The Raiders landed one of the NFL's best young o-linemen this spring, issuing Linderbaum a historic three-year, $81 million deal that pays him nearly $10 million more than the next-highest compensated center. Vegas' brass should feel comfortable with the decision, especially with the 26-year-old coming off three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons.

Linderbaum earned a respectable 79.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus last season, ranking fifth amongst the 40 qualifying centers. He excelled against the run, finishing in the top-five with an 83.2 mark. That shouldn't come as much surprise, as Linderbaum was a critical piece of a Baltimore Ravens rushing offense that rated in the top two of the league during all four of his seasons.

The Raiders will now task Linderbaum with paving lanes and protecting a pair of prized first-round picks in quarterback Fernando Mendoza—the No. 1 overall pick this year—and running back Ashton Jeanty, the team's choice at No. 6 in the 2025 draft. If Linderbaum successfully executes his assignment and lives up to his massive contract, he'll be a surefire finalist for Protector of the Year award.

Defensive Player of the Year: Edge Jared Verse, Cleveland Browns (+3000)

AP Photo/David Richard

Jared Verse's chances of lifting the Lombardi Trophy may have taken a hit following his trade from the Los Angeles Rams, but landing with the Cleveland Browns still has him well-positioned to take home some hardware.

While Verse is tied with T.J. Watt and Trey Hendrickson for ninth-best odds for the Defensive Player of the Year award, he has a legitimate shot at following in Myles Garrett's footsteps and claiming the NFL's highest defensive honor. The young edge rusher was the centerpiece of Cleveland's return for Garrett, a 25-year-old who has only scratched the surface of his potential during his first two professional seasons.

Verse quickly delivered on the hype surrounding him when he entered the league as the No. 19 overall pick in 2024, contributing 66 tackles, 4.5 sacks and 33 pressures to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He followed that up with a quality sophomore effort, earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod after tallying 58 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 36 pressures.

Expect Verse to make a massive leap now that he's the focal point of Cleveland's youthful defense. He'll assume a similar role to the one Garrett thrived in for nearly a decade, a span in which the future Hall of Famer earned seven Pro Bowl and five All-Pro nods in addition to setting the NFL's single-season sack record in 2025.

Verse won't be trying to emulate Garrett, but rather blaze his own trail. According to NFL.com's Michael Baca, the edge rusher aims to be become the league's best defender while elevating Cleveland's defense to No. 1:

"I'm not here to fill [Garrett's] shoes, I'm here to bring my own," Verse said, "I'm here to work and be the best version of me. The best version of me is going to be the best defensive player in the league. The best defensive player in the league is going to play for the best defense in the league."

Considering the flashes he's shown over the past two years and the expanded opportunity he'll have as the face of the Browns' defense, Verse is a great bet to make good on his claim.

Offensive Player of the Year: Malik Nabers, New York Giants (+4500)

AP Photo/Rusty Jones

The New York Giants disastrous 2025 season truly went off the rails when Malik Nabers went down for the year with a torn ACL in Week 4. The superstar wideout's extended absence seems to have led to him flying under the radar heading into 2026.

Despite Nabers' bursting onto the scene with one of the best rookie seasons in recent memory—he caught 109 passes for 1,204 yards and seven touchdowns in 15 games—and establishing himself as one of the best receivers in the league, he only has the 19th best odds of winning Offensive Player of the Year this season.

Nabers' impending return will be a massive boon for a Giants squad working to take a major step forward in 2026. The team went all-in on a regime change and roster improvements this offseason, most notably placing John Harbaugh at the head coaching reins and bolstering Jaxson Dart's protection with first-round guard Francis Mauigoa.

The receiving corps was overhauled as well, although Nabers remains the clearcut No. 1 option in the passing attack. Big Blue secured a slew of veteran pass-catchers in free agency, but the likes of Calvin Austin III, Darnell Mooney, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham won't take much off Nabers' plate. Third-round wideout Malachi Fields has the potential to be special, but he's most likely to work in a complementary role as a rookie.

Darius Slayton, who only mustered a middling 37/538/1 line last year with Nabers sidelined for most of the season, is the only other notable incumbent returning to New York's receiver's room.

With Wan'Dale Robinson taking his whopping 140 targets to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, the door is wide open for Nabers to average 10-plus looks a game and even eclipse the career-high 170 targets he amassed as a rookie in 2024.

While taking Nabers for OPoY is also a bet on Dart making an ascension to superstardom, there's every reason to believe the young signal-caller has what it takes to make that leap.

As long as Nabers keeps trending toward a Week 1 return, he'll represent the best bang-for-your-buck bet you can make on the Offensive Player of the Year award.

NFL MVP: Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers (+2000)

AP Photo/Eakin Howard

The San Francisco 49ers have featured an electrifying offense and been a perennial contender for the majority of the four seasons Brock Purdy has been under center, but the quarterback still isn't generating much NFL MVP buzz heading into the 2026 campaign.

While Purdy is only two seasons removed from finishing fourth in the MVP race and has the tools in place to make another run at it, he currently has modest 20-1 odds that rank behind 10 other signal-callers.

Purdy's health is clearly a factor in these odds, as he missed eight games last year and burned backers due to it. The QB played extremely well when he was on the field—going 7-2 with 2,167 passing yards and 23 total touchdowns in the nine games he was active for—but saw his MVP chances submarined by shoulder and toe injuries.

Injury concerns shouldn't scare bettors off, especially since last year was likely little more than anomaly. Purdy has proved his toughness in the past, gritting through various ailments during his first two full seasons as a starter and missed just three games in total during that span.

Extrapolating Purdy's 2025 numbers across a full 17-game campaign would result in approximately 4,100 yards and 38 touchdowns through the air with another six scores on the ground. Those marks may not have been good enough to best eventual NFL MVP Matt Stafford, but they would have certainly put Purdy him right in the thick of the race.

With the Niners facing a relatively easy schedule and providing Purdy with more weapons in Mike Evans, Christian Kirk and second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling (plus the return of talented incumbents in Ricky Pearsall and Christian McCaffrey), this passing offense is poised to improve upon the already-impressive No. 5 ranking it finished 2025 with.

You won't find a better dark-horse value on a preseason MVP bet than you will with Purdy. If he can stay healthy and the Niners play their usual brand of high-octane football, he's a lock for a top-five finish with a good chance of finally breaking through and claiming the award.