NFL Honors recap: Winners, Jim Brown Award for rushing leader, and other Browns mentions

The twelfth annual NFL Honors show was televised Thursday night. Kelly Clarkson hosted the event this year, becoming the first woman to do so. When it comes to Browns players or alumni in attendance, Joel Bitonio was at the red carpet of the NFL Honors with his wife, Courtney. Bitonio was the Browns’ finalist for the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Cleveland got a brief mention during Clarkson’s monologue:

It was also announced that the NFL has re-named the rushing title award to the Jim Brown Award. The first Jim Brown Award went to Raiders RB Josh Jacobs, with Nick Chubb just missing out.

As far as awards go, the Cleveland Browns came up empty again. Myles Garrett was not in the top three vote-getters for the Defensive Player of the Year Award, so there was no anticipation regarding whether he would win or not. The Associated Press did modify their voting formula this year, casting votes for the top five or top three players in each category, as opposed to just the top player. Let’s look at the full results below, as announced by the Associated Press.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

The winner was New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, who had 18 first-place votes and 156 total points. Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker came in second with 19 first-place votes and 129 total points, followed by 49ers QB Brock Purdy (78 total points) in third and Saints WR Chris Olave (50 total points). Full vote breakdown.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

The winner was New York Jets CB Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, who had 46 first-place votes and 242 total points. Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson came in second with 129 points, Seahawks CB Tariq Woolen was in third with 73 total points. Full vote breakdown.

Assistant Coach of the Year

The winner was San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, who had 35 first-place votes for earned 206 total points. Coming in second was Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson (113 points), followed by Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen (26 points). Full vote breakdown.

Coach of the Year

The winner was New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll, who had 16 first-place votes and 123 points. It’s pretty crazy to think how Daboll was once a criticized Browns offensive coordinator, and now he’s a head coach of the year. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan came in second with 100 points. Full vote breakdown.

Defensive Player of the Year

The winner was San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, who had 46 first-place votes and 237 total points. Cowboys LB Micah Parsons came in second with 101 total points, followed by Chiefs DT Chris Jones (56 points) in third place and Eagles OLB Haason Reddick in fourth place. Browns DE Myles Garrett came in fifth. Full vote breakdown.

Offensive Player of the Year

The winner was Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, who had 35 first-place votes and earned 192 points. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes came in second, finishing with 10 first-place votes and 75 total points. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts (52 points) came in third, and Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill came in fourth. It was a little unusual that while Raiders RB Josh Jacobs came in fifth, Browns RB Nick Chubb did not receive a single vote. Full vote breakdown.

Comeback Player of the Year

The winner was Seattle Seahawks QB Geno Smith, who had 28 first-place votes and 171 points. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey came in second with 110 votes, and RB Saquon Barkley was third with 86 votes. Full vote breakdown.

Most Valuable Player

The winner was Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, who had 48 first-place votes and 490 points. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts came in second, with 193 points. Bills QB Josh Allen was third with 151 points, Bengals QB Joe Burrow fourth, and Vikings WR Justin Jefferson fifth. Full vote breakdown.

Hall of Fame Class of 2023

Congratulations, Joe Thomas! Our full article on him being part of this year’s class is here.