In what has been an absolutely crazy NFL season so far, not much has made sense among playoff teams and major awards. The current leader for MVP figures to be a quarterback who is in his first full season as the starter. As for the secondary awards, there is no clear Coach of the Year favorite, and the top rookies have been even more confusing.
With all the commotion, it has opened up the door for an underrated Bronco to work his way into award contention. With the struggles of rookie starting quarterbacks such as Cam Ward and Jaxson Dart, along with the delayed debut of Tyler Shough, the Offensive Rookie of the Year award has been wide open all season. Even a name such as Ashton Jeanty isn't a serious contender.
No rookie in football has scored more touchdowns this season than Broncos second-round selection RJ Harvey, and he is pushing for a 1,000 scrimmage yard season. His workload has increased with the extra snaps he has gained after injury to JK Dobbins, and he might not let go of them. Harvey has authored a strong case for Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL, and a strong Week 18 against Los Angeles could put the finishing touches on his candidacy.
RJ Harvey can make a statement case for the Offensive Rookie of the Year in Week 18 against the Chargers
Well, there are definitely several contenders for this year’s award; no other player has been quite as elite as Harvey has in a specific aspect of the game. Harvey’s scoring numbers are incredibly impressive for a rookie, but are also among the best in all of football.
As for total yardage, Harvey is the only rookie who is both a top-10 rusher and a top-15 receiver among this class, showing just how impactful he has been.
In the balance of his performance, Harvey has been one of the Broncos’ top rushing and receiving threats in recent weeks. He showed the ability to come up, incredibly clutch as a receiver and a runner, as well also scoring from 25+ yards as both. While other receivers and running backs might have a case for this award, no other rookie is doing it as effectively on both sides of the offensive game as he is.
His strong play was earning him more snaps and reps even before Dobbins went down for the year. It’s hard to keep a strong game this upcoming Sunday against the Chargers, he can truly cement his status as the top offensive rookie in football and add on to what has already been one of the most impressive rookie campaigns in Broncos history.