Several Cowboys players will find out Thursday night whether they won prestigious Associated Press year-end NFL awards.
There's a good chance no one will.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is considered an MVP candidate, but it is certain that he will not be selected. The same AP voters who decide MVP strongly favored Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson as a first-team All-Pro candidate. Additionally, running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers received all 50 of his first-place votes.
This logic can be applied to other awards as well.
Prescott and CeeDee Lamb are finalists for Offensive Player of the Year. The others include McCaffrey, Jackson and Tyreek Hill. At least Prescott doesn't fare any better than Jackson. Associated Press voters slightly favored Hill over Lamb when Hill received 50 first-place votes for All-Pro. Lamb received 49 votes and received second place votes.
Cornerback Daron Brand and hybrid defensive end Micah Parsons are finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Brand has doubts about Cleveland Browns top defensive end Myles Garrett, considering 22 voters did not consider him as one of the two cornerbacks in 2023. It seems like it is. It is not certain that Parsons will win. Garrett and Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker TJ Watt both helped propel Parsons to the All-Pro second team.
Prescott could still leave with some hardware. He, Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy are finalists for the FedEx Air Player of the Year award.
DeMarcus Lawrence is one of 32 candidates for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. There has been little buzz about his chances of winning the award. Prescott received it last year.
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