Saturday, September 5, 2026
By Outer Banks Voice on August 16, 2026
By Aaron Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice
Lamar Jackson was plagued by injuries last year, which combined with a number of other factors, led the Ravens to have a down year, missing the playoffs. But this offseason has given Jackson the opportunity to win another Most Valuable Player Award. The Ravens hired Jesse Minter as head coach (who will also call defense), used the draft to add Ja’Kobi Lane, Elijah Sarrat, and Matthew Hibner, who could all become viable weapons, partially fixed the offensive line by letting Daniel Faalele go and drafting Olaivavega Ioane, and most importantly, hired former Bears Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle as offensive coordinator. A healthy Jackson in a Ben Johnson offense could lead to Jackson winning his third MVP.
While Gibbs had a rough couple of weeks to end the season last year, overall, he had another incredibly productive year. This year, with David Montgomery gone, there will be even more pressure on Gibbs to produce. With the Lions a borderline playoff team, Gibbs will need to be his usual self, if not better, in order for them to make the playoffs. If Gibbs has similar production in both the ground and pass game, and plays a huge role in the Lions offense carrying them to the playoffs, I could see him taking home the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Other candidates I strongly considered were Ja’Marr Chase and Bijan Robinson, but the risk of their teams not making the playoffs is too great for me to pick them over Gibbs.
While Myles Garrett is the best defender alive, and could easily win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year Awards, I’m going to mix it up a bit and take Will Anderson. Anderson has a claim to be the second-best defensive player in the league, and with Micah Parsons set to miss time, I could definitely see Anderson taking DPOY home this year.
This feels like one of the easiest choices for a prediction. Love looked amazing in his first preseason game, and will get a lot of touches this year. On top of this, his ability in the pass game will only help increase his chances to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, especially because Fernando Mendoza may not start right away as the Raiders quarterback.
While I thought hard about giving this spot to Buccaneers rookie Rueben Bain, I decided to go with the extremely versatile safety in Downs. Not only can Downs put up incredible numbers this year, but if he helps improve that Cowboys defense enough to the point that they make the playoffs, that will certainly hold weight for him winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.
I believe that, when healthy, Wirfs has a great argument for being the best offensive lineman in the NFL—and if he can stay healthy, I could easily see him win the second Protector of the Year Award. Two other players I thought hard about were Joe Alt and Lane Johnson. I could easily see Lane winning for legacy purposes. But I believe Wirfs is the better player now, and Alt has even more injury concerns than Wirfs.
Coach of the Year came down to three names for me: Jesse Minter, Ben Johnson and Mike MacDonald. While Johnson was the first name that came to mind, there is a world in which the Bears offense regresses next season, which would knock him out of the race. And while Mike MacDonald might be the best coach in the NFL, there is a solid chance the Seahawks won’t even win their division given how stacked the Rams are—which would make it difficult for MacDonald. With Minter, a lot of COTY is about narratives, and if he can help the Ravens rebound from a disastrous season last year in his first year as a head coach, especially since he is calling the defense, I could see him taking home the award.
