49ers have a ton of finalists for NFL Honors
The 49ers will be well-represented at the NFL Honors ceremony which takes place Feb. 9, the Thursday before the Super Bowl.
Finalists for the NFL’s MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and other awards were all announced Wednesday morning, and included a ton of members of this year’s San Francisco club.
Here are all the awards the 49ers have players and coaches in the running for at the NFL Honors ceremony:
Offensive Rookie of the Year: QB Brock Purdy
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Purdy’s five starts to finish the regular season, and his one game in relief of Jimmy Garoppolo were enough to earn him a top-three spot in the OROY voting. He’ll be in the running alongside Jets WR Garrett Wilson, and Seahawks RB Kenneth Walker III.
Defensive Player of the Year: DE Nick Bosa
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It would be a significant upset if Bosa, the NFL’s sack leader and its most productive overall pass rusher, didn’t win this award. He’s a finalist along with Chiefs DT Chris Jones and Cowboys do-everything DE Micah Parsons.
Coach of the Year: Kyle Shanahan
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Shanahan has had some really successful years as a head coach, but navigating this season with two QBs getting hurt and his offensive not missing a beat with the final pick of the draft as its QB is his most impressive feat to date. The 49ers won the NFC West and haven’t lost since Oct. 23. He’s up for the award with Jags head coach Doug Pederson and Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
Assistant Coach of the Year: DC DeMeco Ryans
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Ryans’ meteoric rise began last year, and comes to a head with a nomination for the NFL’s top assistant. He’s already one of the hottest names in this head coach hiring cycle, and his placement here alongside Lions OC Ben Johnson and Eagles OC Shane Steichen is a testament to how well Ryans has done coaching a defense in a league driven by offense.
Comeback Player of the Year: RB Christian McCaffrey
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Adding McCaffrey helped spark the 49ers’ late-season winning streak that’s now stretched to 12 games. His performance this year both with Carolina and San Francisco has been even more impressive considering a hamstring injury limited him to only seven games a year ago with the Panthers. He also played in just three games the season before that. Giants RB Saquon Barkley and Seahawks QB Geno Smith are the other two finalists.
