NFL 2026 Midseason Awards: Joe Burrow wins MVP, Will Anderson Jr. is Defensive Player of the Year
By
Gordon McGuinness
Joe Burrow leads the MVP race: The Cincinnati Bengals quarterback owns a league-leading 93.7 PFF grade at his position and has generated 2.03 Wins Above Replacement through nine weeks.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Will Anderson Jr. lead award races: Smith-Njigba is the only player with more than 1,000 receiving yards, while Anderson ranks among the top 10 edge defenders in several pass-rushing metrics.
Penei Sewell and Denzel Boston earn recognition: Sewell leads all offensive linemen with a 93.2 PFF run-blocking grade, while Boston leads rookies in receiving yards and contested catches.
As we pass the midway point of the 2026 NFL season, it's time to start thinking about which players are in contention for the league's major individual awards. No race is close to being decided, but several players have begun to separate themselves from the field in each category.
Here are our picks for the major NFL player awards through nine weeks of the season.
Burrow doesn't just lead all quarterbacks in PFF grade through nine weeks of the season — his 93.7 mark is 8.5 points higher than that of the next-best quarterback. He has been worth 2.03 Wins Above Replacement through the first half of the season, almost half a win ahead of the next-best quarterback. We've seen Burrow play at an elite level before, but he's taken his game to another level in 2026.
The reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year is the comfortable favorite to repeat in 2026 after his incredible start to the season. He is the only player in the NFL with more than 1,000 receiving yards, while his 3.49 yards per route run also leads all players at the position. He is tied for the positional lead with 17 missed tackles forced on receptions and continues to dominate in his fourth NFL season.
Anderson has slowed down over the past four weeks after his fast start to the season but remains the front-runner for the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award. He ranks inside the top 10 among edge defenders in PFF pass-rush grade, adjusted PFF pass-rush grade, sack rate and pressure rate. He has been even better against the run, though, where his 90.3 PFF run-defense grade trails only T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, while his 23.2% positively graded play rate against the run trails only DeMarcus Lawrence of the PittsburghSteelers.
NFL Edge Defenders
Weeks 1-9
The same players and metrics are available as a sortable table on each team's Leaders tab.
This is a really close race between Sewell and Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers as things stand. Sewell ranks fifth among offensive tackles with an 83.6 PFF pass-blocking grade and leads all offensive linemen with a 93.2 PFF run-blocking grade. His 20.9% positively graded play rate as a run blocker leads all offensive tackles, while his 6.4% negatively graded play rate is the third-best mark at the position.
This award probably has the biggest pool of contenders at the halfway point of the season, and you could make a case for any of three wide receivers and multiple offensive linemen. Among the wide receivers, you can make a strong case for Boston, his teammate KC Concepcion and Carnell Tate of the Tennessee Titans, depending on which metric you favor. Boston leads all rookies in receiving yards, and his nine contested catches also lead the group. He has also shown a reliable pair of hands in his debut NFL season, dropping just one of the 33 catchable targets thrown his way.
NFL Linebackers
Weeks 1-9
The same players and metrics are available as a sortable table on each team's Leaders tab.
Reese isn't the highest-graded defensive rookie in the NFL, but among the 18 rookies who have played at least 325 snaps through the first nine weeks of the season, his 78.2 PFF grade is 6.3 points higher than that of the next-best defensive rookie. He has made an impact against the run, in coverage and as a pass-rusher, earning a PFF grade above 65.0 in all three facets. His 33 tackles resulting in a defensive stop trail only Miami Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez among rookies.
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