news-engine

2026 NFL season predictions: Picks for MVP, Defensive Player of the Year and six more awards With the 2026 NFL season just around the corner, NFL.com's analysts predict the winner for eight of the league's most prestigious individual awards: - Most Valuable Player - Offensive Player of the Year - Defensive Player of the Year - Protector of the Year - Offensive Rookie of the Year - Defensive Rookie of the Year - Comeback Player of the Year - Coach of the Year Participating analysts: Keegan Abdoo, Mike Band, Jeremy Bergman, Brooke Cersosimo, David Ely, Gennaro Filice, Grant Gordon, Bobby Kownack, Ben McWilliams, Matt Okada, Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Chad Reuter, Nick Shook, Bill Smith, Raza Umerani, Mike Yam, Lance Zierlein. NOTE: All odds -- listed alongside each player's name -- are courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook and were current as of Noon ET on Tuesday, Sept. 1. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER (6 votes: Band, McWilliams, Okada, Reuter, Shook, Zierlein.) T-2) Joe Burrow (+1000) | 3 votes: Ely, Kownack, Smith. T-2) Justin Herbert (+1000) | 3 votes: Abdoo, Bergman, Filice. T-4) Lamar Jackson (+1100) | 2 votes: Umerani, Yam. T-4) Dak Prescott (+1300) | 2 votes: Gordon, Patra. T-6) Brock Purdy (+1700) | 1 vote: Cersosimo. T-6) Caleb Williams (+1800) | 1 vote: Parr. Why Nick Shook chose Josh Allen: A honeymoon season with new WR1 DJ Moore elevates Buffalo's offense into the elite tier, propelling the unit's engine, Allen, to the front of the MVP pack. With an AFC East title in hand, the star quarterback takes home his second MVP as he chases the ultimate prize. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (9 votes: Band, Cersosimo, Filice, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Reuter, Smith, Zierlein.) 2) Ja'Marr Chase (+1000) | 3 votes: Bergman, Ely, Umerani. 3) Puka Nacua (+1300) | 2 votes: Abdoo, Gordon. T-4) Brock Bowers (+6500) | 1 vote: Okada. T-4) Dak Prescott (+20000) | 1 vote: Shook. T-4) Bijan Robinson (+900) | 1 vote: Yam. T-4) Jonathan Taylor (+2000) | 1 vote: McWilliams. Why Bobby Kownack chose Jahmyr Gibbs: Gibbs amassed 5,029 scrimmage yards and 49 touchdowns through three NFL seasons, and he did it while sharing the backfield with the since-traded David Montgomery. Now, one of the league’s most electric talents has the bulk of Detroit’s RB work all to himself as part of an offense that’s finished top five in scoring for four straight years. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR (10 votes: Abdoo, Band, Bergman, Ely, Filice, Kownack, Parr, Patra, Smith, Umerani.) 2) Myles Garrett (+400) | 5 votes: Okada, Reuter, Shook, Yam, Zierlein. 3) Aidan Hutchinson (+900) | 3 votes: Cersosimo, Gordon, McWilliams. Why Keegan Abdoo chose Will Anderson Jr.: Three seasons after winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, Anderson takes the next leap in his career and leads all edge defenders in pressures and run stops. That constant disruption is the engine behind the best defense in the league, and Anderson gets his recognition as a true superstar. PROTECTOR OF THE YEAR (6 votes: Bergman, Cersosimo, Filice, Okada, Shook, Umerani.) 2) Penei Sewell (+460) | 5 votes: Ely, Gordon, Reuter, Smith, Zierlein. T-3) Lane Johnson (+1000) | 3 votes: Band, McWilliams, Patra. T-3) Tristan Wirfs (+1000) | 3 votes: Abdoo, Kownack, Parr. 5) Tyler Linderbaum (+2000) | 1 vote: Yam. Why Gennaro Filice chose Joe Alt: The son of a Pro Bowl left tackle, Alt has the pedigree for greatness, having entered the league two years ago as a top-five pick out of Notre Dame. And the RT's hulking size is plain to see, forming a 6-foot-8, 322-pound wall on the front side of Justin Herbert's protection. But this is the year we all grow to love the big man's fancy feet, with run-game savant Mike McDaniel fully weaponizing his supreme athleticism. OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (6 votes: Bergman, Cersosimo, Kownack, Parr, Yam, Zierlein.) T-2) Jeremiyah Love (+470) | 4 votes: Okada, Patra, Smith, Umerani. T-2) Carnell Tate (+550) | 4 votes: Abdoo, Band, Ely, McWilliams. 4) De’Zhaun Stribling (+850) | 3 votes: Gordon, Reuter, Shook. 5) Jonah Coleman (+5500) | 1 vote: Filice. Why Jeremy Bergman chose Jadarian Price: Seattle's first-round pick will be thrown into the fire out of the gate, with Kenneth Walker III in Kansas City and Zach Charbonnet (knee; PUP) out for at least the first four weeks. Reports out of Seahawks camp see Price as a worthy plug-and-play Day 1 starter, which can't be said for many other top offensive picks. Getting 15 touches a week for the defending Super Bowl champions, with a reigning Offensive Player of the Year threatening on the outside, is about as cushy an entry into the NFL as you can get. DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR (5 votes: Ely, Shook, Smith, Umerani, Yam.) 2) Rueben Bain Jr. (+470) | 4 votes: Filice, Parr, Patra, Zierlein. T-3) David Bailey (+500) | 3 votes: Bergman, Cersosimo, Kownack. T-3) Sonny Styles (+750) | 3 votes: Gordon, McWilliams, Okada. T-5) Arvell Reese (+850) | 1 vote: Abdoo. T-5) Jacob Rodriguez (+1200) | 1 vote: Band. T-5) Josiah Trotter (+8000) | 1 vote: Reuter. Why Raza Umerani chose Caleb Downs: A pure alpha and do-it-all defender, Downs is a disruptor who will have his fingerprints all over each game he plays. New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker has helped mold Patrick Surtain II, Justin Simmons, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into All-Pros in the last five seasons -- he'll know just how to instantly unlock Downs as one of the more productive safeties in football. RELATED CONTENT COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR (8 votes: Band, Bergman, Filice, Gordon, Kownack, Reuter, Shook, Smith.) 2) Aaron Donald (+700) | 4 votes: Abdoo, Ely, Parr, Zierlein. 3) Kyler Murray (+500) | 3 votes: Cersosimo, McWilliams, Okada. T-4) Jayden Daniels (+750) | 1 vote: Yam. T-4) Travis Hunter (+5500) | 1 vote: Patra. T-4) Fred Warner (+3300) | 1 vote: Umerani. Why Chad Reuter chose Patrick Mahomes: Mahomes is hungry to bounce back from a disappointing 2025 campaign, which ended with the two-time NFL MVP sidelined by a knee injury. I won’t bet against him making his sixth trip to the Super Bowl with the help of dual-threat running back Kenneth Walker III, a set of young receivers ready to take the next step and, of course, veteran tight end Travis Kelce. COACH OF THE YEAR DeMeco Ryans Houston Texans | +2700 (4 votes: Abdoo, Cersosimo, Filice, Patra.) T-2) Ben Johnson (+1500) | 3 votes: Band, Parr, Zierlein. T-2) Brian Schottenheimer (+1400) | 3 votes: Bergman, Ely, Kownack. 4) John Harbaugh (+650) | 2 votes: Okada, Yam. T-5) Joe Brady (+1500) | 1 vote: Reuter. T-5) Dan Campbell (+2200) | 1 vote: Smith. T-5) Sean McVay (+3300) | 1 vote: McWilliams. T-5) Jesse Minter (+850) | 1 vote: Umerani. T-5) Kellen Moore (+1400) | 1 vote: Shook. T-5) Andy Reid (+6000) | 1 vote: Gordon. Why Kevin Patra chose DeMeco Ryans: Taking the Texans from good to great with a smothering D that obliterates its opponents, Ryans solidifies his standing as one of the best defensive coaches in the game. Houston finally getting C.J. Stroud back to his rookie-level play puts Ryans over the top.