Kareem Hunt, Alvin Kamara and the NFL’s Rookie of the Year race

Deshaun Watson

Let’s be clear up front that Deshaun Watson has no chance of winning this award, but he also deserves inclusion because if he’d been healthy for any more games this year, it likely would have been a runaway contest, even with the presence of so many impressive rookie running backs this season.

Watson became the Houston Texans starting quarterback in Week 2 after Bill O’Brien moved off of his stubborn insistence that Tom Savage was somehow the answer. Once the switch was made, the Texans offense looked like a completely different unit, one which moved the ball at a league-best pace. In just six starts, Watson threw 19 touchdowns against 8 interceptions with a 103 quarterback rating. He led the NFL in yards/attempt and in touchdown percentage, and his numbers carried over a full season would have placed him in the conversation for more awards than just Rookie of the Year.

Unfortunately Watson was lost for the season to a torn ACL suffered in a Texans practice in early November and the team hasn’t been the same since. Whoever ends up hoisting the trophy for 2017 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year should give Watson a slight nod in the process.