Jalen Carter’s outstanding start to the 2023 NFL season was overshadowed by Will Anderson Jr.’s season-ending performance, as the former Alabama outside linebacker received the prestigious accolade at NFL Honors last night in Vegas.At one point during the 2023 NFL regular season, Jalen Carter was the overwhelming favorite to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, but Carter’s Philadelphia Eagles ran out of steam down the stretch, and the award went to Will Anderson Jr. of the Houston Texans last night at the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.
Carter, the Eagles’ ninth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, had 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his first five professional games. His moniker “Baby Rhino” spread across the league, and he made almost every team that passed him up regret their decision. Except for the Houston Texans, who took CJ Stroud, who was named Offensive Rookie of the Year.The Eagles began the season 10-1 but lost five of their next six. Carter only has 2.5 sacks and no forced turnovers from Weeks 7 to 18. Meanwhile, Houston won seven of its past ten games, and Anderson recorded six of his seven sacks since Week 9.
Carter’s finest stretch occurred early in the season, while Anderson improved as the season progressed. Recency bias strongly influences the awards, such as the fact that voters forgot Damar Hamlin died on a football field last season and returned to play this season. Instead, they handed the Comeback Player of the Year to Joe Flacco because he’s been poor since around 2016 and threw a few
