Before preseason action kicks off for every team in the league on Thursday, it’s a good time to make predictions for the NFL season. Last year, Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba had an insane season, winning Offensive Player of the Year, which no one really had predicted. I took a couple of gambles on this list, so hopefully they’ll pan out as well as Smith-Njigba did last season (they won’t).

It’s hard to make predictions so far out, especially with the preseason not finished just yet, but that’s what makes it fun. Anything can happen.

Here are my predictions for all the major awards for the upcoming NFL season.

MVP: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is listed as the favorite to win the Most Valuable Player award on DraftKings, which makes me hate picking him a tiny bit. I thought I was ahead of the curve, but it seems the consensus backs what Cincinnati has done this offseason.

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Burrow tends to bounce back in a big way after getting injured the previous season. After tearing his ACL his rookie year? He led the league in completion percentage and won Comeback Player of the Year the next season. In 2023, he hurt his wrist and missed the rest of the season, but led the NFL in yards, touchdowns, completions and yards per game in 2024. Once again, he won the Comeback Player of the Year award, finishing fourth in MVP voting.

With him missing time due to a turf toe injury last year, it’s hard for me not to pick Burrow this season.

Oh, and we haven’t even touched on the additions the Bengals have made. Cincinnati’s defense has been lackluster for seasons now, but it’s starting to look up. They made a splash play trading for superstar defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, who reportedly is looking like his old self in training camp.

The defense looks good; he has elite weapons surrounding him and probably the best offensive line he’s had since getting into the league. The sky’s the limit for Burrow, and it’ll be exciting to see the type of run this Bengals team can go on if he’s playing at an MVP level.

Coach of the Year: Kellen Moore, New Orelands Saints

The Coach of the Year award has become the first-year head coach award for the biggest turnaround in year one as of late. But quite frankly, I don’t love any of the first-year head coaches having a crazy season.

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady and Baltimore Ravens head coach Jesse Minter are entering situations that aren’t really turnaround cases. Both of those rosters are loaded. And if the Ravens were to be a top seed in the AFC, I could see Minter winning it, given the Ravens went 8-9 a season ago.

That thought process led me to look at the year two coaches, and the one situation that stood out to me was Kellen Moore with the New Orleans Saints. If the Saints hit their ceiling with the Moore-Tyler Shough connection taking a step forward, this roster can win the NFC South and host a playoff game.

The additions of Jordyn Tyson, Travis Etienne Jr. and David Edwards to the offense give this Saints offense a major boost from last season. The defense is a big question, especially the secondary. But if it all works out and they win 10-12 games, Moore can win this award.

Offensive Player of the Year: Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers

This is the biggest gamble on this entire list, and it’s because Omarion Hampton only played nine games last year. The biggest factor for Hampton winning this award will be the Los Angeles Chargers hiring Mike McDaniel as offensive coordinator from the Miami Dolphins.

Hampton was a fun prospect coming out of North Carolina. He can be a three-down back and has a strong lower body that can run through contact. When you think of a McDaniel running game, you think of wide zone schemes and stretching the field. You typically need a fast back to handle that, which is why De’Von Achane was a perfect fit. Hampton doesn’t have Achane’s speed, but he can operate the scheme McDaniel will bring in.

Something to note: Hampton has a total of 0 carries behind Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater. If both can be healthy, and with the additions the Chargers have made to boost their overall ability to run block. This offense will be scary, and the threat of Justin Herbert could provide some lighter boxes for Hampton to dominate.

Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Los Angeles Rams

Boring, I know. Garrett has already won the award twice.

But he won it last year by breaking the all-time single-season sacks record with 23. Now, he gets to play on an even better defense that likes to get even more active with stunts and loops, which Garrett thrives at.

Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula doesn’t blitz often. He blitzed at an 18.1 percent rate last season, ranking 31st in the NFL, but he does utilize stunts. Garrett is going to be doubled at an absurd rate no matter if Aaron Donald comes back or not. To give him some free lanes, Shula can get creative to give Garrett some easy pressure off of stunting action among the defensive line.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carnell Tate, Tennessee Titans

When the Tennessee Titans selected Carnell Tate fourth overall, it surprised many people. But for me, it made sense. The Titans clearly are lacking a true No. 1 receiver to help Cam Ward take the next leap in his game. So why not take a 6-foot-2, 192-pound receiver who thrives at pushing the intermediate to deep levels of the field?

Tate is already making his presence felt in Titans camp, repeatedly making highlight reel-level plays. He catches everything. He dropped zero passes in his final season at Ohio State, and the same elite quality has transpired in the NFL.

Wth Brian Daboll calling the plays, Tate has a chance to take off in his rookie season.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Chris Johnson, Miami Dolphins

This is another gamble on this list. The second the Dolphins took Chris Johnson in the first round, I loved the fit immediately.

The Dolphins hired former Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley to lead their team into the future. Hafley stood out in Green Bay by calling a heavy zone scheme using a lot of Cover 3. That’s the exact type of system Johnson needs to thrive. Johnson is 6 feet and 193 pounds and doesn’t have the build for a linebacker. Instead, he’s lengthy and has deep-set eyes to allow him to react to everything.

He showed an elite ability to read and react in college while in zone coverage. Hafley will call a ton of zone coverage, which lets Johnson do what he does best. Read and react.

Johnson is the clear No. 1 corner for the Dolphins and won’t have to play with major expectations due to the Dolphins being projected to be one of the worst teams in the league.

Protector of the Year: Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Protector of the Year award is new, and Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney won it last season. For 2026, I have Tampa Bay Buccaneers tackle Tristan Wirfs taking the award.

Wirfs missed the start of the 2025 season due to a knee injury, which got him off to a slow start. When he was settled back into playing, he dominated the end of the season for the Buccaneers, giving up a total of three quarterback pressures in his final four games.

Wirfs has been one of the better tackles ever since being drafted in 2020, and while it’s hard to fully predict who gets this award out of all the talented offensive linemen in this league. Wirfs, no doubt, has the talent to take it this year.

Assistant Coach of the Year: Chris Shula, Los Angeles Rams

Lastly, Assistant Coach of the Year. In the nature of this award, it’ll go to someone whose team had a majorly successful season. The Rams are favored to win the Super Bowl, and for good reason, which is why I expect Shula to win this award.

I’m a big fan of what he accomplished last season for the Rams with the limited talent he had at outside cornerback. Rams general manager Les Snead clearly saw that was a weakness and fixed it. He traded for Trent McDuffie and signed Jaylen Watson in free agency. We’ve already covered the fact that this team now has Garrett, so expect Shula to get even more creative in 2026.

Not only should the Rams have the best offense in the league led by Sean McVay. I have full confidence they’ll have a top-five defense with Shula dialing it all up.