Cardinals OT Could Win New NFL Award

The NFL has done something long overdue and created a brand new award to be handed out to the league's top offensive lineman every year in the "Protector of the Year" award.

Diehard football fans who love the big dudes upfront have been clamoring for this kind of award for a long, long time now. The league has given credit to Dion Dawkins and Andrew Whitworth for their persistence in rallying for this type of award, and fan should also be extending gratitude to them.

The NFL’s annual awards present a perfect amount of hardware to hand out without overstuffing them and potentially decreasing any value. Offensive/Defensive Rookie of the Year, Offensive/Defensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, and league MVP cover most of your bases. But it does leave the big guys out of any conversation for recognition on a grand scale.

Those days should be long behind with the introduction of the Protector of the Year award.

What can be most appreciated about the award is every position on the offensive line will be eligible to win. Centers and guards will have just as much love as the almighty tackle position.

There are several stud offensive lineman across all five spots throughout all 32 teams to make the award as wide open as possible.

Its inaugural debut would not be a surprise for some of the best veteran lineman to receive some extra love as their careers begin to wind down; Trent Williams of the 49ers would be my personal betting favorite to claim the title.

Of course, there are still more than a few young stars who will content for the award, and one of them might be in the desert.

Could Arizona Cardinals tackle Paris Johnson Jr win Protector of the Year?

Johnson has had quite a promising start to his career and looks like one of the best offensive lineman the franchise has drafted in a long time. The Ohio State product was playing at a Pro Bowl level last season and should’ve been an alternate selection if not for ending this season prematurely due to injury.

But prior to that, he was as dominating a young left tackle as you’ll find in the league.

Johnson open his career in 2023 on the right side of the offensive line opposite of then starter D.J. Humphries. He looked like a typical rookie as expected, but you could see his comfort level grow by seasons end.

Of course, Johnson was not selected with the sixth overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft to spend his career, or at least a large portion of it, playing right tackle. The goal from this franchise was to have Johnson step into the shoes of Humphries and become his successor to his throne as the team’s blindside protector.

Humphries left Arizona in the 2024 offseason and Johnson moved from strong side to blindside. The transition was mostly positive.

Johnson did look much more comfortable back on the left side and could also be seen using his reps as a rookie to improve his game for year two.

According to Pro Football Focus, Johnson was credited with four sacks last season and flagged for penalties seven times. Both of those numbers could stand for improvement, but that’s not the worst season in the world for a player adjusting to an early career shift in positions.

Even with the sacks and penalties, PFF still graded Johnson as the 12th best offensive tackle in football last year. I have to agree with them and say his play speaks louder than those two numbers may indicate.

It feels more than fair to presume he can build off of that season in year three and his second at left tackle.

It also helps that he will be playing in the same offensive scheme with OC Drew Petzing calling plays again this year. Continuity is important for young players and PJJ should benefit greatly from this.

But to go along with continuity and another year of growth comes the pure athleticism and upside that Johnson already possesses. It’s the God-given talent that enticed Arizona to move up and grab him after previously trading down during the 2023 draft. It is shown so far, and there’s reason to believe it will continue to do so.

If these things culminate together, Johnson will have as good of a chance as any to put together a serious case to win the award. At worst, he should be one of the top young candidates in contention.

It’s worth noting once again that all five positions on the offensive line will be eligible for the award to open that competition even wider. So, rather than only competing against other left tackles, Johnson will compete with guards, centers, and his right tackle counterpart.

But competition is a great thing and something all players should welcome. Winning the award would be that much sweeter.

For the inaugural season of the Protector of the Year award, expect a competition to be fiercer than any year moving forward. It doesn’t mean Johnson won’t have a puncher's chance to earn this new prestigious honor, however.

I wouldn’t tell you Johnson should be one of the heavyweight contenders to win, but he’s got as good a chance as anyone else entering the year. If/when he gets better, he will become an annual contender for the hardware.