Overview of The Bowers That Be: Predicting MVP and Other 2026 Awards
Mina Kimes and Ben Solak preview the major NFL awards for the upcoming season, mixing film-based evaluation, training-camp observations, and a heavy dose of narrative logic. The conversation repeatedly comes back to a few big themes: quarterbacks dominate MVP, coach awards are usually about team turnaround, and roster context matters almost as much as raw talent for awards like Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
Biggest Themes From the Episode
- Quarterbacks remain the center of the MVP race. Health, team wins, and a clear season-long narrative matter a lot.
- Coach of the Year is mostly a turnaround award. A team jumping from bad to good usually wins out over “best coach” arguments.
- Position value matters less than production + story. Tight ends, safeties, and defensive tackles can still win, but they need standout, easy-to-tell stories.
- Training camp buzz influenced several picks. Both hosts leaned on what they’ve seen in person to separate favorites from dark horses.
Award Predictions
MVP
Mina’s pick: Joe Burrow
Ben’s pick: Joe Burrow
Why they like Burrow:
- He has the strongest mix of performance ceiling and narrative momentum.
- Cincinnati’s offense looks stable enough to be elite, and the defense/line are improved enough to help the Bengals win more games.
- A healthy full season from Burrow would likely produce the kind of volume and wins MVP voters reward.
- They both see this as the cleanest bet among the usual elite QB names.
Dark horse: Trevor Lawrence
They like the fit between Lawrence, Liam Coen’s offense, and Jacksonville’s receiving talent. The case is that if the Jags win the AFC South or grab a top seed, Lawrence could get real MVP traction.
Offensive Player of the Year
Ben’s pick: Brock Bowers
Mina’s pick: Puka Nacua
Why Ben likes Bowers:
- Tight end usage is trending upward, and Bowers already has a historic rookie resume.
- He could become the clear funnel point in the Raiders’ passing game.
- Ben thinks the right coaching and target distribution could lead to a truly massive volume season.
Why Mina likes Nacua:
- She views him as scheme-proof and already one of the NFL’s most complete receivers.
- The Rams offense should again be highly productive, giving him a great chance to post another elite season.
- She emphasized his growth as a deep threat and all-three-levels receiver.
Dark horse: Omarion Hampton
Mina likes the Chargers rookie back as a possible volume monster if the run game takes off. The appeal is carries, checkdowns, and big-play ability in a strong offensive environment.
Defensive Player of the Year
Ben’s pick: Myles Garrett
Mina’s pick: Will Anderson Jr.
Why Ben likes Garrett:
- He just posted an absurd sack total and remains the safest bet to lead the league again.
- If the Browns or his team situation gives him enough wins and visibility, voters may simply give him another trophy.
Why Mina likes Anderson:
- He’s an ascending young edge rusher with room to make another jump.
- He benefits from playing opposite Danielle Hunter and being part of a loaded Texans defense.
- The hosts think his opportunities will be there, and his profile is strong enough to get award attention.
Dark horses:
- Ben: Kyle Hamilton
- Mina: Jalen Carter
Hamilton’s case is built on versatility and stat accumulation from a movable safety/nickel role. Carter’s case is all about elite pressure production on what should be one of the league’s best defenses.
Coach of the Year
Mina’s pick: Jesse Minter
Ben’s pick: A turnaround head coach candidate on a rebuilding team; the transcript is a little garbled here, but his argument is clearly built around the classic “bottom-of-the-league to winning record” formula.
Why Mina likes Minter:
- She thinks the Chargers defense could take a big leap.
- Minter already has a strong reputation for maximizing talent, and a unit turnaround would give him a clean Coach of the Year story.
- Even if some of the improvement comes from roster changes, he’d get a lot of credit.
Dark horse: Brian Schottenheimer
Ben likes Dallas as a possible surprise contender if the offense is explosive and the defense improves enough to push the Cowboys into a much better season.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Both hosts treated this as a slightly murky award, but the most important takeaway is that they view it less as pure narrative and more as a “best coach in a coordinator role” type of honor.
Ben’s pick: Christian Parker
He likes the new Cowboys defensive coordinator as someone who could take a bad unit and make it much more functional.
Other names they flagged:
- Anthony Campanile in Jacksonville
- Jim Leonard with Buffalo
- Drew Petzing as a first-time offensive play-caller to watch
- Declan Doyle as another intriguing unknown
- Brian Flores got a nod as the kind of coach who probably should win every year
Executive of the Year
Mina’s pick: George Paton
Ben’s pick: Nick Caserio
Why Mina likes Paton:
- If Denver’s roster rebuild and quarterback situation pay off, Paton could get a lot of credit for the construction of the team.
Why Ben likes Caserio:
- He thinks a strong Texans season would reflect Caserio’s work on both the offensive and defensive sides of the roster.
- The case is partly about draft hits and partly about turning the roster into a sustained contender.
Dark horse: Brett Veach
Ben joked that if the Chiefs rebound in the right way, the executive credit could swing back to Veach even if the public is skeptical.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Mina’s pick: Caleb Downs
Ben’s pick: Rueben Bain Jr.
Why Mina likes Downs:
- She thinks he could become the face of a defensive turnaround.
- Despite safety historically being a tough position to win this award, she believes his visibility and impact could force voters to notice him.
- The idea is that he’ll be one of the biggest storylines on a better defense.
Why Ben likes Bain:
- He expects immediate pass-rush opportunities and thinks Bain has the readiness to capitalize.
- He prefers a player in a role where sacks and splash plays can quickly shape the narrative.
Dark horses:
- Mina: Hakeem Mesidor
- Ben: C.J. Allen
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Mina’s pick: Fernando Mendoza
Ben’s pick: Jadarian Price
Why Mina likes Mendoza:
- Quarterbacks are heavily favored in this award, especially if they play a meaningful number of games.
- She sees a straightforward path where a rookie QB gets enough starts to outpace the field.
Why Ben likes Price:
- He thinks Price is in a strong offensive environment and can produce as both a runner and receiver.
- He likes the scheme fit and believes the workload could grow enough to make him a real candidate.
Dark horse: Denzel Boston
Ben was especially enthusiastic about Boston after seeing him at camp, describing him as a physically impressive, explosive receiver who already looks like an NFL-caliber outside target.
Notable Takeaways
- Burrow was the clean consensus MVP pick.
- Bowers and Nacua led the Offensive Player of the Year conversation because both have realistic paths to monster volume.
- Will Anderson Jr. and Myles Garrett were the safest DPOY calls, with Kyle Hamilton and Jalen Carter as fun upside bets.
- Caleb Downs and Fernando Mendoza drew the biggest rookie buzz because they combine name recognition, role clarity, and a plausible path to award-level production.
- The hosts consistently valued team context, coaching, and narrative momentum over pure stat projection.
Bottom Line
This was a classic preseason awards preview: lots of quarterbacks, a few bold non-QB swings, and a strong emphasis on who has the cleanest path to a story voters will actually buy. If the season plays out the way Mina and Ben expect, the biggest names to watch are Joe Burrow, Brock Bowers, Puka Nacua, Will Anderson Jr., Jesse Minter, George Paton, Caleb Downs, and Fernando Mendoza.