The NFL regular season is almost here, and already some interesting lists are dropping, but this one has some serious juice: the official NFL “Protector of the Year” award has its favorites out of Vegas, and two Cardinals offensive linemen, Paris Johnson Jr. and Isaac Seumalo, made the cut. This is a big deal for the league, especially since it’s only the second year this award has even existed.
Cardinals O-Line Gets Noticed (Finally)
Last year, the NFL finally got smart and gave offensive linemen their due with the first-ever “NFL Protector of the Year” award. Chicago Bears guard Joe Thuney snagged that inaugural honor. Now, Vegas has dropped the odds for who’s gonna win this year, and it’s a packed field with 46 players listed. Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell is sitting pretty as the frontrunner at 9-2 odds, with Tristan Wirfs of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers right behind him at 9-1. But for our rivals down south, Cardinals veteran OT Paris Johnson Jr. clocked in at #22 with +4000 odds, and OG Isaac Seumalo is ranked #30 with +7000 odds. It’s a solid nod for both of them, and it shows the league is watching. No other Arizona offensive linemen even cracked the list, which tells you these two are carrying the load.
The Long Road To Official Recognition
For years, folks tried to give offensive linemen some love, but it was never officially sanctioned by the NFL until last season. There were awards like the “Outstanding Blocker of the Year” from the National 1,000-Yard Club (where the Cardinals had zero winners from 1964-1977), or the “Forrest Gregg Award” from the PFWA Wisconsin Chapter. The Cardinals did have some old-school heroes though, with Dan Dierdorf winning the “Offensive Lineman of the Year” award from Football Digest in 1975, the NFLPA award multiple times (1976, 1977, 1978), and the Seagram’s Seven Crowns award in 1975. But for this new, official NFL “Protector of the Year” award, the Cardinals haven’t had a winner yet from 2025 to the present. Maybe this year, with Johnson Jr. and Seumalo on the radar, that changes.
What’s Next for the O-Line Grind?
While we’re all looking forward to seeing how these guys perform when the regular season kicks off, especially against teams like our own Seahawks, these lists remain early season chatter. There’s also another list floating around from “The Athletic,” where Austin Mock threw out predictions for all 16 AFC teams’ projected win totals. But for Johnson Jr. and Seumalo, it’s all about proving those odds wrong and showing the league they’re more than names on a list. Let’s see if they can climb those rankings and bring some serious protection to their QB. The grind is real, and the season will tell the true story.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Revenge of the Birds.
Leave a Reply