Browns regular season awards: Unexpected defender for Rookie of the Year

Now that there’s officially nothing to play for, the Cleveland Browns are expected to rest some of their starters in Week 18. That turns their finale with the Cincinnati Bengals (who are eliminated from the playoffs) into an unofficial preseason game.

There will be plenty of chances for the younger players to hone their skills but most of the stars are done for the regular season. For a team that's dealt with as many injuries as Cleveland has, being able to rest players can be a huge advantage. For us, it makes this a good time to hand out some team awards for the postseason-bound Browns so we can turn all of our attention to the playoffs next week.

Browns Rookie of the Year: Dawand Jones, Ronnie Hickman

On offense, Dawand Jones runs away with this award. He stepped in during their Week 1 win over the Bengals when Jack Conklin went down and there was no noticeable drop off. Jones remained the starter until he was lost for the year due to a knee injury but still proved in 11 games and nine starts that he belongs in the NFL.

Jones was added in the fourth round from Ohio State and Cleveland fans were thrilled to see their front office finally land some Buckeyes. Even their defensive rookie of the year came from OSU, which winds up being safety Ronnie Hickman.

Hickman, an undrafted free agent, was pressed into action when Rodney McLeod was injured. He moved to a starting role in Week 15 and was the highest-graded defensive rookie that weekend. Hickman has been excellent in coverage which was a knock coming out of college. He even recorded a pick-six in the win over the New York Jets in Week 17, turning his first-career interception into a touchdown.

This time, he was the highest-graded safety in the league in Week 17. Hickman has been an excellent addition and while he didn't play early on, he's still done more than enough down the stretch to be their best defensive rookie.

Defensive Player of the Year: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB

When the Browns landed Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he felt like a perfect fit. A hybrid linebacker and safety at Notre Dame, JOK played well in coverage — which was a major issue for them throughout the 2020 campaign — but was also fearless when it came to taking on the ball carrier.

The only real negative surrounding him was his size. At roughly 221 pounds, JOK isn’t built to take on 300-plus-pound offensive linemen. Unfortunately, he had to do this far too much early in his career since Cleveland’s defensive line struggled to occupy blockers. That hasn’t been the case this year thanks to additions such as Dalvin Tomlinson, Maurice Hurst, and Shelby Harris.

While the entire Browns defense has played at a high-level thanks to the improvements up front, no one has been more impactful than Owusu-Koramoah. He’s suddenly free to use his instincts and athleticism and that’s led to his best year as a pro. Entering Week 18, he has a career-high 101 tackles. He’s even recorded 20 tackles for a loss after having just 10 in 2021 and 2022 combined. For good measure, he had the first two interceptions of his career in back-to-back weeks.

Offensive Player of the Year: David Njoku, TE

There were a couple of options here including Amari Cooper, who set the franchise record for most receiving yards in a single game in Week 16. He also became the first player in team history to record back-to-back seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. Simply put, Cooper was fantastic.

As good as he was, he gets edged out for the Browns Offensive Player of the Year by tight end David Njoku. The seventh-year player lead the team with 81 receptions as well as with six touchdown catches. Each of those is a career-high for him as are the 882 yards, which is second on the team behind Cooper.

While Cooper is deserving and did make a lot of splash plays, Njoku was a stud when it came to converting third-and-long plays. He did this often by taking a short catch and turning it into something big afterward. His “angry runs” constantly got the crowd fired up and would give his offense a fresh set of downs.

In addition to his play in the passing game, Njoku has become one of the top run-blocking tight ends in the NFL. As if that wasn’t enough, he was able to take the field — and performed well — just days after suffering serious burns to his hands and face. Njoku is the epitome of toughness, which is what this entire team has been known for this year.

Browns MVP: Myles Garrett, EDGE

While reading on JOK, it might have led to a question as to why Myles Garrett didn't get the Browns Defensive Player of the Year Award. The truth is that he winds up with an even more important distinction as the team's MVP for the 2023 season.

They've had several players stand out and deliver in big-time moments. Kareem Hunt has been great at punching the ball in near the goal line, Dustin Hopkins was perfect from beyond 50 yards, and Joe Flacco led an offensive resurgence that saw both Amari Cooper and David Njoku take off.

Winning 11 games and earning a spot in the playoffs doesn't happen without every one of those guys. They all answered the call when they were needed but there's no denying that Garrett has been the consistent force leading the way on defense.

After 16 games, he has 42 tackles and 14 sacks plus he's the No. 1 edge defender in the NFL according to PFF. He's easily the top pass rusher right now but he's also been stellar in run defense. What really makes Garrett special, however, is the way he alters game plans.

Garrett went five weeks without a sack before notching one in Week 17 but that freed things up for others. Teams often dedicate two and even three blockers to No. 95 which has helped Za'Darius Smith, Ogbo Okoronwko, and Dalvin Tomlinson all put up decent numbers when they've been on the field. A threat to change the game on any snap, Garrett will be the defensive catalyst if they are to have any success this postseason.

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