Key Falcons Stars Expected to Be Snubbed Based on ESPN Awards Projections

The Atlanta Falcons had their share of stand outs on the team this season, but a poor record is likely going to sideline them for award season

Falcons stars are expected to sit out award season | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have contenders for two awards this season: the Offensive Player of the Year and the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Despite several standouts on both sides of the ball in an 8-9 season, one writer over at ESPN doesn’t think any members of the Atlanta Falcons will be taking home hardware this season. 

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell left key Falcons weapon Robinson out of his top three candidates for the award. He wrote that it’s a two-man race between Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Puka Nacua, with Trey McBride as his honorable mention to win. 

Running back Bijan Robinson was left out entirely despite a serious case for being the best offensive player in football this season. He led the entire NFL in total yards from scrimmage this season, with 2,298, 172 more yards than second-place Christian McCaffrey.

ESPN Analyst Marcus Spears said it best a few weeks ago: “If he was on a winning team, this would be Bijan Robinson’s league.” 

It’s ridiculous that the league leader in total yards from scrimmage is not in contention for this prestigious award in the eyes of Barnwell. Robinson has 15 more yards than Saquon Barkley did last year when he won the award. 

Barnwell has Puka Nacua winning the award, who had 1,715 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns this season. 

“Nacua led the league with a 98 in ESPN's receiver scores, the third-best mark posted by any wideout in any season since 2017.” He writes. 

Meanwhile, Atlanta has two players vying for the best rookie defender this season in edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and safety Xavier Watts, with linebacker Jalon Walker on the outside looking in. Pearce finished his first year in the league with 10.5 sacks, the most in Atlanta Falcons franchise history and the most by a rookie since Micah Parsons’ 13.5 in 2021. The only active players with more sacks as a rookie than Pearce are Parsons, Bradley Chubb (12.0) and Von Miller (11.5).

The only active defenders with more than 10.5 sacks in their rookie season:

• Micah Parsons (13.0)
• Bradley Chubb (12.0)
• Von Miller (11.5) https://t.co/mTKyyyyAue pic.twitter.com/QTsaTM1aZ1

— Arkesh Ray (@arkeshrayyyy) January 4, 2026

Meanwhile, Watts finished his rookie season with 96 total tackles (59 solo, 37 assisted), five interceptions (most of all rookie defenders) and 11 passes defended. Watts’ five interceptions were actually tied for second most in the league among all defenders. 

He is the first rookie to have 60 or more tackles and three or more interceptions in their first season since 2017, when teammate Jessie Bates achieved the feat with the Cincinnati Bengals. 

Pearce is mentioned in Barnwell’s race for the defensive player of the year award. However, he is in third place behind Cleveland Browns’ linebacker Carson Scheswinger and New York Giants’ edge rusher Abdul Carter. 

Pearce is lower than Carter in Barnwell’s rankings, as he feels that some of the rookie’s sacks are undeserved.

“Those 10.5 sacks include a strip-sack in which Pearce was unblocked off the edge. They also include a handful of coverage sacks in which Pearce didn't win quickly, capitalizing on his team's coverage or another defender's pressure,” he writes.

The basis for Carter over Pearce in Barnwell’s mind is that he had significantly more pressure. Carter finished the season with 66 pressures (most of all rookies) to Pearce’s 45 (second among all rookies), but Pearce also played 141 fewer snaps. He also had 6.5 more sacks than Carter, but is still ranked behind him.

Regardless, Barnwell has Scheswinger winning the defensive player of the year award. 

“Schwesinger is already one of the better off-ball linebackers in the NFL and should have been a Pro Bowl pick in the AFC,” he writes.