CBS Sports 2026 NFL award predictions: Experts have clear No. 1 choice for MVP, pick other top honors

In the NFL, there are nearly 1,700 players on an active roster, but it’s the stars who make the world go ’round. They can lift good teams to great ones, lift middling teams to good ones or simply provide silver linings for bad teams. And while we may think we know who will be a star every season, there’s beauty in the breakout stars, too.

Last year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba went from promising young receiver to Offensive Player of the Year and was a huge reason the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl. On the other end of the spectrum, team success-wise, the Cleveland Browns struggled again, but second-round pick Carson Schwesinger won Defensive Rookie of the Year and looks to be a pillar going forward in Northeast Ohio.

These types of breakouts make predicting individual awards difficult but also incredibly fun — an opportunity (and a challenge) to think outside the box.

With the 2026 NFL season just a day away, CBS Sports’ team of NFL experts — writers, editors, analysts and more — made their individual award picks.

Voters: Pete Prisco, Bryant McFadden, Emory Hunt, Leger Douzable, Garrett Podell, Josh Edwards, Jared Dubin, Jordan Dajani, Ryan Wilson, Tyler Sullivan, Doug Clawson, John Breech, R.J. White, Bryan DeArdo, Zach Pereles

MVP

1. Bengals QB Joe Burrow (5 votes)
2. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, Bills QB Josh Allen (2 each)

Also receiving votes: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Patriots QB Drake Maye, Lions QB Jared Goff, Chargers QB Justin Herbert, Packers QB Jordan Love, Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence (1 each)

Burrow is the top choice for the second year in a row. While last year went off the rails for Burrow (and the Bengals) due to his injury, there are plenty of reasons to believe in a major bounce back. Burrow has been Comeback Player of the Year twice, including in 2024, when he led the NFL in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43) and finished fourth in MVP voting. Moreover, the Bengals improved their defense this offseason, so if the team can be better, Burrow’s MVP candidacy will get a big boost.

Offensive Player of the Year

1. Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase (5 votes)
2. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs (4)
3. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson, Rams WR Puka Nacua (2 each)

Also receiving votes: Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (1 each)

Chase won the receiving triple crown with a healthy Burrow in 2024, but Offensive Player of the Year went to Saquon Barkley, who went for over 2,000 yards on the ground. The argument for Chase is similar to the one for Burrow: If Burrow and Chase are healthy, huge numbers await, and if the defense is much improved, the Bengals should be, too. Fair or not, a player’s team being good gives him a leg up in award voting. Chase’s 6,837 career receiving yards are second-most ever through five seasons, only behind Justin Jefferson.

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr. (9 votes)
2. Rams EDGE Myles Garrett, Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt (2 each)

Also receiving votes: Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, Broncos EDGE Nik Bonitto (1 each)

Anderson Jr. was an overwhelmingly popular pick in what, hypothetically, could be a crowded race. In 2025, he was an absolute terror with 12 sacks, 93 pressures, 70 hurries and a 21% pressure rate. The last two numbers were tops in the NFL. If it hadn’t been for a record-setting year for Garrett, Anderson would be looking to go back-to-back for Defensive Player of the Year this year. Also worth noting: An edge defender or defensive lineman has won this award in 10 of the last 12 seasons.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

1. Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love (7 votes)
2. 49ers WR De’Zhaun Stribling (4 votes)
3. Seahawks RB Jadarian Price (2 votes)

Also receiving votes: Titans WR Carnell Tate, Browns WR Denzel Boston (1 each)

Love suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason, but that didn’t scare off too many voters apparently. The Cardinals’ No. 3 overall pick looked electric in his lone preseason appearance and combines outstanding long speed with an impressive array of jukes. At Notre Dame last year, he scored 21 touchdowns en route to a third-place finish in Heisman Trophy voting.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

1. Jets EDGE David Bailey, Buccaneers EDGE Rueben Bain Jr. (5 votes each)
2. Cowboys DB Caleb Downs (3)

Also receiving votes: Bengals EDGE Cashius Howell, Commanders LB Sonny Styles (1 each)

Bailey vs. Bain was a popular debate leading up to the NFL Draft, and it transferred over to Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions, too. Bailey went No. 2 overall to the Jets after tying for the FBS lead in sacks (14.5) last year at Texas Tech. Bailey’s 19.5 tackles for loss were second-most in FBS, too. Bain, meanwhile, fell to the Buccaneers at 15th overall due to concerns about his arm length, but he might have found the perfect home with blitz-happy coach Todd Bowles. Bain had 9.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss last year at Miami.

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (10 votes)

Also receiving votes: Rams DL Aaron Donald, Vikings QB Kyler Murray, Giants WR Malik Nabers, Packers TE Tucker Kraft (1 each)

Mahomes winning Comeback Player of the Year was the most popular pick across all of the categories. The three-time Super Bowl MVP is returning from a torn ACL suffered in December but has been on track for Week 1 for months. The Chiefs are in somewhat of a rebuild/retool season having traded away or lost via free agency several key pieces from past Super Bowl teams, but Mahomes remains. Kansas City will look to rebound from its worst record (6-11) since 2012.

Protector of the Year

1. Lions RT Penei Sewell (9 votes)

Also receiving votes: Chargers RT Joe Alt, Chargers LT Rashawn Slater, Eagles RT Jordan Mailata, Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley, Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs (1 each)

Bears guard Joe Thuney won the inaugural Protector of the Year award last year, but our voters focused on tackles this year, with Sewell demolishing the competition. A first-team All-Pro each of the last three seasons, Sewell is switching from right tackle to left tackle, but that didn’t give our voters any pause.

Coach of the Year

1. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, Ravens coach Jesse Minter, Bills coach Joe Brady, Jaguars coach Liam Coen (2 votes each)

Also receiving votes: Jets coach Aaron Glenn, Giants coach John Harbaugh, Saints coach Kellen Moore, Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell, Packers coach Matt LaFleur, Broncos coach Sean Payton (1 each)

This vote was, predictably, quite spread out. Interestingly, all four coaches who received multiple votes are either in their first year of head coaching (Minter, Brady) or their second (Schottenheimer, Coen).