Tom Rock's NFL Midseason Awards
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
It was a fun enough tale when Joshua Dobbs was the starting quarterback for the Cardinals and was roaming around the team’s official store earlier this year looking in vain to purchase his own replica jersey. What Dobbs did on Sunday, now as a Viking, made him a legend.
Just five days after he was traded to Minnesota to help replace Kirk Cousins, having never taken a practice rep or a snap from the center, without knowing some of the names of his teammates, Dobbs was able to lead the Vikings to a comeback win over the Falcons.
His saga has everything, and for that we are calling it the Story of the Year in our look at some of the Midseason Awards. No, there is no real trophy for this category. No one will vote on it. If they did, though, Dobbs would win in a landslide.
In the league since 2017, he is on his ninth stint with his seventh different team, and his third team this season. He started out 2023 in training camp with the Browns, was traded to the Cardinals in August and then, before he had unpacked all his stuff in Arizona, was shipped to Minnesota.
He was supposed to be an emergency quarterback for the Vikings, but that emergency came quickly, as Jaren Hall left with a concussion in the first quarter. Dobbs, who barely knew a handful of plays, threw for 158 yards and became the first quarterback in NFL history with consecutive three-touchdown games for two different teams.
It’ll be hard to top that one for sheer entertainment over the coming months.
Here are our NFL Midseason Awards in much more legitimate categories, as well as a look back at who we predicted would win them before the season began:
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Joshua Dobbs (15) looks on after the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 5, 2023, in Atlanta. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/TNS) Credit: TNS/Kevin C. Cox
MVP
LAMAR JACKSON, Ravens
Preseason pick: Joe Burrow, Bengals
Unlike many years at this juncture, there is no hands-down standout for the award. Just as there is no universally dominant team, parity has settled in among the players, too.
Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill attends a practice session in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023. The Miami Dolphins are set to play the Kansas City Chiefs in an NFL game in Frankfurt on Sunday Nov. 5, 2023. Credit: AP/Michael Probst
There are going to be people who pick Patrick Mahomes out of habit even though Kansas City is winning more games on the back of its defense than its quarterback play this season. And some will feel that the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts should be recognized as some sort of penance for overlooking him upon his entry into the league and as last year’s runner-up. Both are having fine enough seasons with championship trajectories to warrant discussion for this award.
But the player who is having the sneakiest strong season of all the legitimate MVP candidates is Lamar Jackson.
A year after his relationship with the Ravens nearly combusted, Jackson is having his best season as a passer while maintaining his prowess as a running threat (he leads all quarterbacks with 440 rushing yards). No starting quarterback in the league has a better completion percentage than his 71.5 mark and only one full-time starter has fewer interceptions than his three. Oh, and he might be playing for the sneakiest best team in the league, too. The Ravens beat the Lions and Seahawks, two likely playoff teams, by a combined 75-9 during the last three weeks.
There still is plenty of time for someone else to make a run at this full-season award, and now that Burrow’s calf seems to be getting better, our preseason pick might even make a push. But Jackson has been the best and most consistent player over the first 2 1⁄2 months of this season.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) celebrates as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, Oct. 15, 2023, in Cleveland. Credit: AP/Ron Schwane
OFFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
TYREEK HILL,
Dolphins
Preseason pick: Tyreek Hill
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Baltimore. Credit: AP/Alex Brandon
Few awards better illustrate the changes to the sport in recent years than the way wide receivers have been treated for this one. After Jerry Rice won it in 1993, no receiver claimed the title until Michael Thomas in 2019. Cooper Kupp and Justin Jefferson have since claimed the last two. And this year it seems another receiver is destined for it.
The award likely will go to whichever player crosses the mythic and thus far impenetrable 2,000-yard mark this season: Hill or A.J. Brown. So far they are neck-and-neck: Hill has 69 catches for 1,076 yards and eight TDs; Brown has 67 for 1,005 and six TDs. If they remain statistically even, or if they both go over 2K, the deciding factor could come down to a preference of style.
Some are more impressed by Brown’s physically imposing play and his ability to come up big in big games for a team that has one loss. But Hill’s speed and flair for electric plays are too mesmerizing to ignore.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell calls out from the sideline in the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Detroit, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. Credit: AP/Carlos Osorio
MYLES GARRETT, Browns
Preseason pick: Micah Parsons, Cowboys
Garrett has been voted an All-Pro four times in his career, but this may be his finest season and could conclude with his first Player of the Year recognition. His 9.5 sacks, 18 QB hits and league-leading four forced fumbles have been the foundation for a Browns defense that has been able to overcome uneven quarterback play by being the most feared and productive unit in the NFL.
If someone goes on a tear in the second half and can break Michael Strahan’s single-season sack record — eight different players have at least eight, with Danielle Hunter leading the league with 10 — it’ll be hard to envision them not getting this award in February. T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, Parsons, Hunter, they all have the capacity to get there. So does Garrett. Unless that record falls, it’ll be hard to say that anyone has been more of a game-wrecker than he has.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 22: Jalen Carter #98 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Lincoln Financial Field on October 22, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Mitchell Leff
COACH
OF THE YEAR
DAN CAMPBELL, Lions
Preseason pick: Campbell
Nick Sirianni certainly is a candidate if the Eagles keep winning. Kevin O’Connell has been able to overcome an unreal rash of injuries for the Vikings. DeMeco Ryans has the Texans exceeding expectations. And if the Jets somehow can manage to straighten out their offense and fly right, Robert Saleh will get plenty of love for what they were able to overcome just four snaps into their season.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud reacts after scoring on a 2-point conversion against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023, in Houston. Credit: AP/Eric Christian Smith
But anyone who can turn the Lions into winners deserves Coach of the Decade, never mind year or half-year.
Campbell isn’t there yet, but he seems to be on his way toward some firsts in many Detroit fans’ lifetimes with possible postseason wins and maybe even a brush with a Lombardi Trophy. The fact that he’s doing it in a thoroughly modern way — by empowering his staff and roster to brainstorm ideas and come to a consensus while embracing an aggressive nature — only amplifies how much he deserves this award.
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR
Tua Tagovailoa #1 of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass in the fourth quarter during the NFL match between Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs at Deutsche Bank Park on November 05, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Credit: Getty Images/Alex Grimm
C.J. STROUD, Texans
Preseason pick: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions
Maybe Stroud is the Avis of rookie quarterbacks. He was No. 2, so he tries harder. Whatever the reason, the Ohio State product has turned the Texans into a fun watch. Last week he threw for a rookie-record 470 yards to go with five TDs in a comeback win. He’s poised, polished and a winner. What more would anyone want from that position?
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE
OF THE YEAR
JALEN CARTER, Eagles
Preseason pick: Will Anderson Jr., Texans
Finding a role on a team that went to the Super Bowl a year before your arrival can be tough, but Carter has made it look like he’s been there for a decade . . . and he’ll likely be there for a decade more. In eight games, he has 16 total tackles, five sacks and 29 total pressures, all of it while playing only 251 total snaps, which is less than half of the team’s defensive plays.
COMEBACK PLAYER
OF THE YEAR
TUA TAGOVAILOA,
Dolphins
Preseason pick: John Metchie III, Texans
Considering he should have been mulling retirement from concussions at this time last year, Tagovailoa is a pretty good candidate here. Of course, there are some guys who are coming back well from injuries they suffered earlier this year who may top him, including Dolphins teammate Jalen Ramsey. Of course, if Aaron Rodgers gets back on the field in December from a torn Achilles in September, they may rename this award after him.
EXECUTIVE
OF THE YEAR
ERIC DeCOSTA, Ravens
Preseason pick: DeCosta
When it would have been easy to rid the Ravens of the silly headaches caused by Lamar Jackson’s odd negotiating tactics, DeCosta ignored them and dug in on a contract for the quarterback that seems to be paying off with Jackson’s best season and a possible run to a Super Bowl.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
