On Thursday, the Associated Press announced that a handful of Eagles are finalists for the year-end awards thanks to their impressive performances throughout the season. Saquon Barkley spearheads the group of five honorees as he listed as a finalist for both NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. The other four selections come on the defensive side with linebacker Zack Baun earning a nomination for Defensive Player of the Year, cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both selected as finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio is in the running for Assistant Coach of the Year.
Barkley’s first season with the Eagles could not have gone any better and certainly deserves to be in the MVP discussion. However, the last running back to win MVP was Adrian Peterson back in 2012 as it’s become dominantly a quarterback regarded award. Barkley should have a good shot at winning Offensive Player of the Year after putting up a league-best 2,009 rushing yards, good for 8th-most all-time in a single season. He would be the first Eagle to win Offensive Player of the Year since the award was first handed out in 1972 but the third running back in the last five years to win the award joining Christian McCaffery (2024) and Derrick Henry (2020).
Baun’s magical season continues to be one for the best stories in the NFL in quite some time. The linebacker finished tied for sixth in the NFL with 151 total tackles to go along with 11 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. With a possible contract extension looming with the Eagles, Baun would be the first Eagle to be named Defensive Player of the Year since Reggie White took home the honor back in 1987 as the only other Eagles’ defensive player to win the award.
The dynamic duo in Mitchell and DeJean are a big reason why the Eagles have been so successful this season. Mitchell and DeJean were two of the top cornerbacks in the league this season with Mitchell working on the outside and DeJean in the slot.
They join fellow teammate Jalen Carter (2024) who finished second in voting behind Houston’s Will Anderson for the distinction. Either Mitchell or DeJean are looking to become the first Eagles’ rookie to win the honor since its inception in 1967. They become the second pair of teammates in as many years to be named finalists, joining Detroit’s Brian Branch and Jack Campbell while also being the fourth cornerback to win the award over the last decade joining Sauce Gardner (2022), Marshon Lattimore (2017) and Marcus Peters (2015).
Last but not least, Fangio has been named an Assistant Coach of the Year finalist and would also be the first representative from an Eagles’ coaching staff since the award was first handed out in 2014. Fangio transformed a defensive unit that ranked near the bottom in every major statistical category to top-five in just a year with many unproven players including the three finalists in Baun, Mitchell and DeJean.
Winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on Thursday February 6th at 9 p.m. ET, hosted by Snoop Dogg.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
