Primary Awards:
MVP: Matt Ryan, quarterback (Falcons)
Prior to the start of this season, I thought Matty Ice's days as a top-flight NFL quarterback were over. He promptly proved me wrong by going on to have the best season of his 11-year career. Ryan was the model of efficiency and dominance in one of the most pass-happy offenses in the league, throwing for 4,944 YDS and 38 TD's while completing a ridiculous 69.9% of his passes and only throwing 7 INT's.
Honorable Mentions: Tom Brady (Patriots), Aaron Rodgers (Packers), David Johnson (Cardinals)
Offensive Player of the Year: David Johnson, running back (Cardinals)
David Johnson's 1st full-year as an NFL starter was nothing short of remarkable. The 2nd-year back proved why he's one of the NFL's most lethal young players by leading the league with 2,118 all-purpose yards (1,239 rushing, 879 receiving) behind one of the worst offensive lines in football and keeping the Cardinals offense afloat while Carson Palmer struggled for a majority of the year.
Honorable Mentions: Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys), Antonio Brown (Steelers), Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
Defensive Player of the Year: Khalil Mack, defensive end (Raiders)
2016 will go down as the year Khalil Mack evolved from promising young player to full-blown superstar. Mack served as the Christ-like savior that kept this undisciplined and largely talent-deprived Raiders defense from completely falling apart every Sunday. His two-way playmaking abilities (73 tackles, 11 sacks) and knack for forcing fumbles at key moments single-handedly clinched multiple victories for this young squad.
Honorable Mentions: Von Miller (Broncos), Aaron Donald (Rams), Bobby Wagner (Seahawks)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ezekiel Elliott, running back (Cowboys)
For the 3rd time in 4 years, a borderline unstoppable workhorse running back is taking home offensive rookie of the year. Elliott reaffirmed why he was a top-5 overall pick in the draft by serving as the catalyst for the Cowboys offensive resurgence with a league-leading 1,631 rushing yards and 16 total TD's.
Honorable Mentions: Dak Prescott, quaterback (Cowboys), Jordan Howard, running back (Bears), Michael Thomas, wide receiver (Saints)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Joey Bosa, defensive end (Chargers)
Joey Bosa's 2016 season pretty much mirrored what Odell Beckham Jr. did in 2014. After missing the first 4 games of the season with injury, Bosa came in and immediately took the NFL by storm with his dominant play. The Ohio State-bred edge rusher looked like a perennial Pro Bowler as soon as he took the field, picking up 41 tackles, 10.5 sacks (tied for 13th in the league) and 23 QB hurries (tied for 16th in the league) in just 12 games on a Chargers defense that is average at best. If his rookie campaign is any indicator, Bosa is going to be a Von Miller/Khalil Mack/Justin Houston-esque matchup nightmare for opposing offenses in no time at all.
Honorable Mentions: Jalen Ramsey, cornerback (Jaguars), James Bradberry, cornerback (Panthers), Leonard Floyd, outside linebacker (Bears)
Comeback Player of the Year: Jordy Nelson, wide receiver (Packers)
This was the only award that I had a really difficult time picking a winner for. There was an usually high volume of players that bounced back from either a major injury (Jimmy Graham, Cameron Wake) or a god awful season in 2016 (DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell). After extensive internal debate, I have to give the nod to Jordy Nelson. A 31-year old receiver picking up over 1,200 yards and leading the league in receiving touchdowns a year after suffering a brutal ACL tear is just unbelievable.
Honorable Mentions: DeMarco Murray (Titans), Jimmy Graham (Seahawks), Cameron Wake (Dolphins)
Coach of the Year: Dan Quinn (Falcons)
Jack Del Rio and Adam Gase were definitely strong contenders for this award after leading their teams to their first playoff berths of the 2010's, but I was ultimately more impressed with what Dan Quinn was able to do in Atlanta this season. Quinn showed a ton of resilience by leading Falcons to an NFC South title (and eventually an NFC championship) with minimal personnel or roster changes from the 2015 team that famously imploded down the stretch-losing 7 of their final 9 games-after starting 5-0.
Honorable Mentions: Jack Del Rio (Raiders), Adam Gase (Dolphins), Ben McAdoo (Giants)
All-Pro Teams:
Quarterback:
1st team: Matt Ryan (Falcons)
2nd team: Tom Brady (Patriots)
Running Back:
1st team: David Johnson (Cardinals), Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)
2nd team: DeMarco Murray (Titans), Le'Veon Bell (Steelers)
Wide Receiver:
1st team: Antonio Brown (Steelers), Julio Jones (Falcons)
2nd team: T.Y. Hilton (Colts), Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants)
Tight End:
1st team: Travis Kelce (Chiefs)
2nd team: Greg Olsen (Panthers)
Tackle:
1st team: Donald Penn (Raiders), David Bakhtiari (Packers)
2nd team: Andrew Whitworth (Bengals), Tyron Smith (Cowboys)
Center:
1st team: Matt Paradis (Broncos)
2nd team: Alex Mack (Falcons)
Guard:
1st team: Kelechi Osemele (Raiders), Marshal Yanda (Ravens)
2nd team: Zach Martin (Cowboys), Brandon Brooks (Eagles)
Defensive End:
1st team: Khalil Mack (Raiders), Cameron Jordan (Saints)
2nd team: Cameron Wake (Dolphins), Oliver Vernon (Giants)
Defensive Tackle:
1st team: Aaron Donald (Rams), Damon Harrison (Giants)
2nd team: Calias Campbell (Cardinals), Ndumakong Suh (Dolphins)
Outside Linebacker:
1st team: Von Miller (Broncos), K.J. Wright (Seahawks)
2nd team: Vic Beasley (Falcons), Lorenzo Alexander (Bills)
Inside Linebacker:
1st team: Bobby Wagner (Seahawks), Sean Lee (Cowboys)
2nd team: Dont'a Hightower (Patriots), Zach Brown (Bills)
Cornerback:
1st team: Aqib Talib (Broncos), Chris Harris Jr. (Broncos)
2nd team: Malcolm Butler (Patriots), Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (Giants)
Safety:
1st team: Eric Weddle (Ravens), Landon Collins (Giants)
2nd team: Kam Chancellor (Seahawks), Eric Berry (Chiefs)
Kicker:
1st team: Justin Tucker (Ravens)
2nd team: Matt Bryant (Falcons)
Punter:
1st team: Johnny Hekker (Rams)
2nd team: Pat McAfee (Colts)
Return Specialist:
1st team: Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
2nd team: Cordarrelle Patterson (Vikings)
Special Teamer:
1st team: Matthew Slater (Patriots)
2nd team: Dwayne Harris (Giants)
Miscellaneous Awards:
Top Surprise Teams:
5.Buccaneers
4.Cowboys
3.Lions
2.Dolphins
1.Falcons
Biggest Underachievers:
5.Cardinals
4.Vikings
3.Bengals
2.Broncos
1.Panthers
Breakout Players:
10.Jamison Crowder (Redskins)
9.Trey Flowers (Patriots)
8.Melvin Gordon (Chargers)
7.DeShawn Shead (Seahawks)
6.Zach Brown (Bills)
5.Jay Ajayi (Dolphins)
4.Lorenzo Alexander (Bills)
3.Vic Beasley (Falcons)
2.Matt Paradis (Broncos)
1.Landon Collins (Giants)
Underachieving Veterans:
10.Richard Sherman (Seahawks)
9.Allen Robinson (Jaguars)
8.John Brown (Cardinals)
7.Stephon Gilmore (Bills)
6.Sheldon Richardson (Jets)
5.Cam Newton (Panthers)
4.Doug Martin (Buccaneers)
3.Brock Osweiler (Texans)
2.Todd Gurley (Rams)
1.Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets)
Top Rookies:
10.Carson Wentz (Eagles)
9.Tyreek Hill (Chiefs)
8.Cody Whitehair (Bears)
7.Jalen Ramsey (Jaguars)
6.Jack Conklin (Titans)
5.Michael Thomas (Saints)
4.Jordan Howard (Bears)
3.Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
2.Joey Bosa (Chargers)
1.Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys)
Biggest Rookie Letdowns:
10.Jonathan Bullard (Bears)
9.Pharaoh Cooper (Rams)
8.Roberto Aguayo (Buccaneers)
7.Cyrus Jones (Patriots)
6.Shaq Lawson (Bills)
5.Darron Lee (Jets)
4.Germain Ifedi (Seahawks)
3.Laquon Treadwell (Vikings)
2.Jared Goff (Rams)
1.Myles Jack (Jaguars)
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