2026 NFL midseason award rankings: MVP picks, top rookies, OPOY, DPOY, coaches - ESPN

Bill Barnwell Nov 12, 2026, 06:20 AM ET

Close Bill Barnwell is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. He analyzes football on and off the field like no one else on the planet, writing about in-season X's and O's, offseason transactions and so much more.

He is the host of the Bill Barnwell Show podcast, with episodes released weekly. Barnwell joined ESPN in 2011 as a staff writer at Grantland.

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It's midseason awards time. I'm here to hand out my ballot for the first half of the 2026 NFL season. And in a year that has felt dominated by parity and very few players or teams separating from the pack, it wasn't easy to pick favorites. There are multiple legitimate contenders to win every single award through nine weeks, running all the way from Most Valuable Player (where I counted six players who had a legitimate argument) to Comeback Player of the Year (where three future Hall of Famers came back from season-ending injuries and immediately looked like their old selves).

As always, these are my picks for who I feel should win each of these awards after the first half of the season as opposed to predictions for who the voters are likely to actually select by the end of the year. I place a priority on availability, so players who have sat out more than a game or so because of injury will find it difficult to compete with players who have answered the call each and every weekend. And naturally, I'm using healthy amounts of data and what I've seen watching All-22 film every week to inform my choices here.

Let's begin with the rookies and others before wrapping up with my MVP rankings and my midseason All-Pro team.

DROY | OROY | Coach of the Year

Comeback Player of the Year

DPOY | OPOY | MVP | All-Pro roster

Defensive Rookie of the Year

My top pick five weeks ago: Arvell Reese

After the offense-heavy draft classes in 2024 and 2025, this has been a very fun crop of defensive rookies, driven by the players at the very top. There were no sure things, but we're seeing a lot of players who had questions about their fit in a defense or as every-down options thrive. The 49ers' and Chiefs' first-year defenders in particular have been exciting to watch, although Mansoor Delane 's shoulder injury has kept the top-drafted cornerback in the class from getting on the field often enough to compete for this award, while defensive tackle Gracen Halton sustained a season-ending broken ankle for the 49ers.

I was left with five contenders for three spots. Jacob Rodriguez has been ever present at linebacker for the Dolphins and has been a very good run defender while wearing the green dot for Miami as a rookie. The Bengals were able to isolate Rodriguez in coverage for a couple of touchdowns earlier this season, but he has generally had the athleticism to compete there against running backs and tight ends.

And though Brandon Cisse 's season got off to a tough start against Justin Jefferson, the Packers cornerback has improved. He has been surprisingly impactful along the line of scrimmage, creating problems as a blitzer and making quick reads and sure tackles on screens. He has been one of the biggest reasons the Packers -- whose outside cornerbacks struggled last season -- have been able to withstand the absence of Micah Parsons.

3. Sonny Styles, LB, Washington Commanders

Of course, I have to start any conversation about Styles by mentioning what might have been one of the single most impressive highlights I saw from any player in the first half of the season -- when he obliterated Saquon Barkley in pass protection. It hasn't been an isolated moment for the Commanders linebacker, either, as we're repeatedly seeing his physicality and athleticism impact blockers and draw eyes in pass protection.

He has also been a quick study in coverage over the middle of the field, showing a real comfort with understanding route distributions and passing receivers off to avoid creating the voids that offenses try to exploit. It has been a frustrating season for the Commanders, but Styles looks as if he's going to be an essential part of the defense moving forward.

2. David Bailey, Edge, New York Jets