NFL awards predictions

After a long offseason filled with free agent signings, contract drama and trade rumors, the NFL is finally back. Below, our CommRadio staff predicts who will win the NFL’s season-long awards.

Jon’s Picks

AFC Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt

The Steelers had one of the NFL’s most loaded defensive rosters last season, and they only added to it with the signings of Patrick Queen and DeShon Elliott.

Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Alex Highsmith and even Watt himself missed time with injuries last season, but they’re all entering this season healthy and ready to roll.

If they stay healthy, Watt should have plenty of opportunities to be a game wrecker and earn his second DPOY Award.

NFC Offensive Player of the Year: CeeDee Lamb

As if the Cowboys weren’t already reliant on Dak Prescott and the passing game, they let running back Tony Pollard walk in free agency and did little to replace him.

They signed former Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott to lead their backfield and have Rico Dowdle entering his sophomore season behind him, but I don’t expect either to be major contributors out of the backfield.

Lamb also doesn’t have much competition for targets and should be the focus of the offense, lining him up for a monster year and his first OPOY Award.

Rocco’s Picks

MVP: C.J. Stroud

Is there a quarterback outside of Brock Purdy who is in a better situation to succeed than the Texans' signal caller?

Houston added former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs via trade without giving up a first-round pick, and they also picked up former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon during free agency.

Tank Dell, coming off a broken fibula in Week 13 of last season, and Nico Collins return for their second year catching passes from the Ohio State alum.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik stays put in the “Lone Star State”, and he receives a significant raise in doing so despite numerous head coaching offers.

The only real concern is the offensive line as no additions were made up front to bolster the protection of Stroud, but the group battled injuries all of 2023.

If this group stays healthy, there is no reason for C.J. Stroud not to continue his dominance from his rookie season into year two.

Coach of the Year: DeMeco Ryans

Well, I might as well continue the love for the Texans.

If Stroud wins MVP, it’s hard not to believe that Ryans will not add 2024 NFL Coach of the Year to his resume.

The defense should be just as good, if not better than 2023, where the unit finished as the 11th-best scoring defense (21.1 points allowed per game).

With Ryans also not winning the award last season, his odds to win drastically increase as the league commonly seeks out first-time winners over coaches who previously won the award.

Buy stock on the 2024 Houston Texans before it is too late.

Joe’s Picks

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Marvin Harrison Jr.

It has been seven seasons since the last time an Offensive Rookie of the Year recipient was not drafted in the first round. Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints, a then-third-round draft choice, was the last player to do so in 2017. In fact, in the last decade, eight of the 10 winners have been first-round picks.

That said, in an opening round where the top three players chosen were quarterbacks, leaning toward a pass catcher seems the safest route to take. Marvin Harrison Jr. was the Arizona Cardinals' No. 1 draft pick this year, taken fourth overall.

A top-five selection represents significant draft capital, especially for an organization that did not select anyone in the first round of last year's draft. Quarterback Kyler Murray should look to utilize his new weapon.

Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing was overjoyed to get Harrison Jr. into the building. "I think he is a great fit for what we do as a team … I don’t think he’s someone you have to limit in terms of what he does in the offense," Petzing said.

With former rookies like Jaylen Waddle, Puka Nacua and Garrett Wilson receiving more than 140 targets in their recent rookie campaigns, look for "Maserati Marv" to receive an unprecedented amount of opportunity and production.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Dallas Turner

In a draft where the first defensive player wasn’t selected until the 15th pick, it was clear that team owners and general managers placed a premium on offensive talent.

The Indianapolis Colts may have made UCLA’s Laiatu Latu the first defender off the board, but he’s not the smartest bet for Rookie of the Year honors. That distinction belongs to the Minnesota Vikings' outside linebacker Dallas Turner.

At just 21, the 6-foot-3 247-pound edge rusher out of Alabama is primed to carve out an ideal role as a rotational pass rusher with the Vikings.

With seasoned veterans Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel ahead of him on the depth chart, Turner has the opportunity to soak up invaluable knowledge from both before eventually taking the field and creating chaos in his own right.

Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores commented that he loved what he saw from his stud edge rusher in training camp. “Very athletic, very smart, tough — nothing but positives, quite honestly," Flores said.

Look for Turner to heat up and catch fire in the latter half of this season, potentially reaching double-digit sacks. Similar to his one-time Alabama counterpart and last season’s Rookie of the Year, Will Anderson.

Carter’s Picks:

AFC Offensive Player of the Year: Garrett Wilson

The New York Jets finally have a healthy Aaron Rodgers for their offense. Last year Rodgers tore his Achilles in the Jets season opener against the Buffalo Bills.

The Jets were forced to roll with quarterback Zach Wilson for the majority of the season which held their offense back. This injury essentially derailed their entire season leaving fans disappointed.

Garrett Wilson finally has the quarterback play to show his elite talents and with being the primary receiving target on offense, there is nothing holding him back.

NFC Defensive Player of the Year: Micah Parsons

There is no denying how elite the Dallas Cowboys were defensively last season. A huge part of this success was due to having defensive coordinator Dan Quinn on the staff.

Now Quinn has gone and left to the division rival Washington Commanders.

The Cowboys hired former Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer as Quinn’s replacement. Zimmer has proven to lead elite defenses in the past and has coached elite edge rushers such as Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen.

Micah Parsons is one of the elite edge rushers currently in the league and is due for a massive season. Zimmer will unlock Parsons into becoming the best defensive player in the league.

Jonathan Hartley is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jdh6293@psu.edu.

Rocco Pellegrino is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email rdp5387@psu.edu.

Carter Ostermiller is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cbo5161@psu.edu.

Joseph Granton is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jlg6619@psu.edu.