NFL Awards: Predicting every winner for the 2020 season
By Samuel Teets
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals
Out of the four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, only Joe Burrow plans on starting in Week 1. After destroying college football last season and winning a National Championship with the LSU Tigers, Burrow has his eyes set on making an immediate impact in Cincinnati.
Burrow isn’t just relying on the hype either. He has a legitimate supporting cast. Jonah Williams will make his debut at left tackle after missing his entire rookie season. Joe Mixon recently signed a four-year, $48 million extension, which he earned by rushing for 2,305 yards over the past two seasons. Rookie Tee Higgins joins a wide receiver corps already featuring Tyler Boyd, A.J. Green, and John Ross.
While the Bengals have almost no chance of making the playoffs in 2020, Burrow has the pieces around him to succeed. The only threats to Burrow’s position as the Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) come from the plethora of receivers who claimed starting jobs in training camp.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Isaiah Simmons, LB, Arizona Cardinals
Simmons dominated at Clemson, filling stat sheets across the board. In his final collegiate season, Simmons recorded 104 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, eight sacks, and three interceptions from his linebacker position. The future 18th overall pick won the Dick Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker and took home the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award.
Some teams questioned whether playing linebacker or safety fit Simmons best at the NFL level. While the Consensus All-American played safety early during his time at Clemson, Simmons thrived most when he played linebacker. Arizona wants Simmons at linebacker for now, but he’ll see some snaps at safety and in the slot throughout the year.
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Unlike with the OROY, the Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY) award isn’t cut and dry. Simmons’ versatility gives him a leg up on the competition, but other rookies have reasonable cases for winning this award. Derrick Brown, Kenneth Murray, Jeff Okudah, Patrick Queen, and Chase Young all enter the NFL with significant upside and immediate opportunities to earn Pro Bowl selections.