AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Travis Hunter, WR: Offensive Rookie of the Year
I don’t see Liam Coen winning NFL Coach of the Year this coming season. He would have to do some miraculous work with Trevor Lawrence to make that happen. It’s not impossible, but it’s much more likely that Travis Hunter ends up the Rookie of the Year than Coen ends up the NFL Coach of the Year. Hunter won the Heisman Trophy last year, so how cool would it be for him to come right into the NFL and add more hardware to his trophy case?
Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB: Offensive Rookie of the Year
The Titans don’t have much to hang their hat on right now. They don’t have any obvious award candidates outside of Cam Ward, and they could be in for a long season. But you just never know how rookie quarterbacks are going to adjust to playing in the pros, and Ward was the #1 overall pick for a reason. He’s got a chance to be the tide that raises all boats in the harbor, so if he wins Rookie of the Year, it’s possible that Brian Callahan will also get some Coach of the Year love.
Indianapolis Colts: Daniel Jones, QB: Comeback Player of the Year
Is it more likely that Daniel Jones contends for NFL Comeback Player of the Year this year, or that Jonathan Taylor contends for Offensive Player of the Year? My gut right now is telling me that Jones winning Comeback Player of the Year is more likely. There will be some strong candidates for that award in 2025 coming off of injury, but if Jones can rehabilitate himself with the Colts, he’s got a great shot of getting some hardware and a hefty contract.
Houston Texans: Danielle Hunter/Will Anderson Jr./Derek Stingley Jr.: Defensive Player of the Year
The Houston Texans now have a wide variety of interesting potential award candidates for the 2025 season. I thought about CJ Stroud for MVP here, but I’m not sure he’s quite at that spot in his career. I thought about DeMeco Ryans for Coach of the Year, which is a very realistic possibility. Ultimately, I took a bit of a cop-out answer here and picked a trio of defensive players for DPOY. I could legitimately see any of Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr., or Derek Stingley Jr. winning that award. Two of those guys can rack up sacks and Stingley could follow in Pat Surtain II’s footsteps.