Some of the Windy City Gridiron staff made their picks for several 2026 individual season awards, and we’ll cap the predictions off by picking Super Bowl LXI. We’ve been running through all our picks the last couple of days, and next up is Protector of the Year.
Click the link below for any you may have missed.
MVP
Offensive Player of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Coach of the Year
Protector of the Year
Super Bowl LXI
Bryan Orenchuk:
For Protector of the Year, I’m going with Penei Sewell of the Detroit Lions. Switching over to the LT spot will draw even more attention to the big fella from Oregon. I think he excels in the new role and plays a massive part in Jahmyr Gibbs’ dominant season.
Josh Sunderbruch: It would send an interesting signal for the award to go to the highest-paid center in the league, so Tyler Linderbaum of the Las Vegas Raiders is my choice.
Sam Householder: Penai Sewell. He’s been among the best in the league for a while, and I think this year he gets his flowers.
Donald Gooch: Joe Thuney. Nuff said.
TJ Starman: Joe Alt is my choice for Protector of the year. I was tempted to have Joe Thuney run it back, but there will definitely be a lot of competition, and Alt will be in a crucial role for the Los Angeles Chargers this season. If he’s able to keep Justin Herbert upright, that should go a long way toward individual and team success.
Mongo Peanut: Keep it in Chicago with Darnell Wright. The kid is as talented as anyone in the league and puts it all together this year.
Gary Baugher Jr.: Penei Sewell will get a lot of love after switching to left tackle and continuing to play at an All-Pro level.
Erik Duerrwaechter: Joe Thuney is the first-ever recipient of the award. And I don’t see another OL who’s as capable of playing at such a high level between multiple positions if needed. Frankly, it should be renamed the Joe Thuney Award.
Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: If the Philadelphia Eagles Lane Johnson is healthy, I think the media will vote him as the winner. Besides being a really, really good right tackle, at 36 years old he’s on the back 9 of his career, so this would be a nice nod to recognize the greatness of the grizzled vet.
Jeff Berckes: We’re all the winners now that the NFL has created this award. I think voters were wise in choosing Joe Thuney for the first-ever award last year, showing it wasn’t just going to be a left tackle every year. However, I think they’ll go that direction this season, and I really like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tristan Wirfs to take it home this year. He’s in his prime, and if he strings together a healthy season, I like his odds.
Superfans: At first, we were thinking this is a situation where voters could split between the two Chicago All-Pros, which could hurt their individual chances at winning, but then we realized the greatness of Thuney and Wright will be so massive in 2026 that these two might be the only two offensive linemen receiving votes at all. So we’re predicting a tie.
Who is your pick for 2026 Coach of the Year?
