The 2019 BroSports NFL Awards

That’s right! For the second straight year, we’re back with the BroSports NFL awards! That means we’re officially an annual event! If you wanna travel back in time, here are last year’s award winners! Buckle in and read all about our winners!

For posterity’s sake, I am wearing a tuxedo.

The 2019 BroSports NFL Awards

Comeback Player of the Year: Darren Waller, Tight End, Oakland Raiders

Darren Waller has an incredible story, and I don’t think enough people know about it. A big raw athlete coming out of Georgia Tech, the Baltimore Ravens selected him with a sixth-round pick. Not good enough to make the 53, the Ravens stashed him away on injured reserve in 2015. The following season, he was suspended four games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. The next season, he was suspended the entire year for it. When he finally returned, the Ravens waived him, signing him to the practice squad.

And that’s where Jon Gruden first saw him, a hulking figure running routes during warm-ups for the week 12 showdown between the Ravens the then-Oakland Raiders. A week later, the Raiders signed him to the 53 man roster, and he played sparingly in relief of Jared Cook during the last few weeks of the season.

Waller ended up being one of the stars of Hard Knocks this season, as everyone was ready to name him the NFL’s best kept secret before he made his first career start. But when he did, he didn’t disappoint.

He exploded for the Raiders this year, being easily their most consistent weapon. Going from practice squad nobody, coming off a year-long suspension, to 1,000 yard receiver is pretty insane. I’d call that a comeback for the ages.

Darren Waller’s First Three NFL Seasons- 18 catches, 178 yards, two touchdowns.
Darren Waller’s 2019- 90 catches, 1,145 yards, three touchdowns.

Coach of the Year: Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers

There are several strong candidates for this award. John Harbaugh was on the verge of being fired last season, and now he has the NFL’s best team. Kyle Shanahan finally turned his 49ers around, and they were one of the last undefeated teams standing in 2019. Mike Vrabel took Ryan Tannehill and finally made the Tennessee Titans seem respectable. But I had to tip my hat to Mike Tomlin.

Two years ago, Mike Tomlin had Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown on his offense, and they were explosive. Then, Bell held out for cash, Antonio Brown lost his mind, and Big Ben got hurt. Mason Rudolph, his young quarterback, wasn’t very good when he was on the field, and that wasn’t very often. But with the team’s fourth-string quarterback in training camp, the Steelers bounced back from a 1-4 start to playoff contention. They ended up falling short, but that doesn’t change the fact that he did a lot with very little.

Tomlin’s Super Bowl win is often discredited because he did it “with Bill Cowher’s team,” but it should be noted just how much he did with very little this season. So the best Head Coach/reserve Special Teamer this season is one Mike Tomlin.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Nick Bosa, Defensive End, San Francisco 49ers

I don’t think Nick Bosa had the best rookie season as a defender. I think that honor belongs to Maxx Crosby, the Raider rusher that didn’t have the supporting cast that Bosa or Josh Allen had, should get the award. But I’m already giving hardware to two other Raiders, and god forbid, anyone think I’m biased.

Nick Bosa did have a very strong rookie campaign, just like his brother. In 14 starts, he registered nine sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, 25 quarterback hits, two pass deflections, a forced fumble, and an interception. He’s been a huge part of the San Francisco 49ers resurgence, and a real menace for opposing offensive players everywhere.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Josh Jacob, Running Back, Oakland Raiders

Duh. There’s no discussion here. This should end up being unanimous, as the rookie rusher went off for the Silver and Black. There will be people that try to make a push for Kyler Murray, because gosh dang it, if we don’t force feed people this idea that quarterback is the only position that matters, they might start watching baseball.

Josh Jacobs averaged 100 all-purpose yards a game this season, and despite only playing in 13 games, he finished top ten in rushing. He did all of this, despite playing with a injured shoulder for most of the season. Just imagine what Jacobs could do if the Raiders had a capable passing game. The Raiders were a playoff team when Jacobs was healthy, and they were atrocious when he wasn’t. That should tell you all you really need to know about the topic.

Defensive Player of the Year: Chandler Jones, Edge Rusher, Arizona Cardinals

Chandler Jones very quietly had a dominant season in 2019. The Arizona Cardinals might not be a very good team, but Jones has had a great season. A lot of people are going to say Stephon Gilmore deserves this award, but I just don’t see it.

The Cardinals weren’t great, but that didn’t stop Jones from balling out. This season, he registered 19 sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, forced eight fumbles, and hit the quarterback 26 times. He also deflected five passes and started all 16 games for Arizona. I don’t really think there’s another candidate that could push Jones for this spot.

Also, this video exists.

Offensive Player of the Year… and Most Valuable Player: Lamar Jackson, Quarterback, Baltimore Ravens

I did it last year, and sadly, I have to do it again in 2019. I wanted so desperately to put Christian McCaffrey here. He had such an incredible year, and I wanted to reward that work with a totally really, obviously very prestigious award, but… you’ve gotta give it up for Baltimore’s star quarterback.

In 15 games, I repeat, 15 games (rested week 17), Lamar Jackson piled up 4,333 total yards with 43 touchdowns while only turning the ball over eight times. That’s unreal. His 1,206 rushing yards were the most by a quarterback in a single season ever, and he helped lock up the AFC’s best record, guaranteeing homefield advantage for the Baltimore Ravens throughout the playoffs.

He was a video game create-a-character for Baltimore this season, and at points, looked unstoppable. Earlier in the year, I thought maybe McCaffrey, or maybe even Russell Wilson would contend for this spot, but before November was over, it was pretty obvious number eight would be taking home a ton of hardware at the NFL Honor’s.