With the 2020 season now in the rear-view mirror, it’s time to reflect and recognize the brighter moments of an otherwise disappointing year for the Patriots.
As voted by the readers of PatsPropaganda, here are the PatsProp 2020 – End Of Season award winners.
Rookie Of The Year
(T) Michael Onwenu
After being picked in the sixth round of this year’s Draft, there were no major expectations for Mike Onwenu to make the sort of impact he did in his rookie season. But, following the opt-out of starting RT Marcus Cannon, Onwenu enjoyed his first season in New England splitting reps with Jermaine Eluemunor and making quite the impression across the league in the process.
PFF ranked Onwenu on a number of occasions as one of the best performing Tackles in the league during the season, as well as his inclusion in the PPF 2020 All-Rookie Team.
A great building season for Mike, with potential turnover at the offensive line position coming in the next few months, Bill will be pleased with the early performances from the former Michigan Wolverine.
2nd Place – Kyle Dugger
Team MVP
(P) Jake Bailey
No surprise here, Jake Bailey has been a stand out performer for this Patriots team in 2020. Coming off a solid rookie season, Bailey continued to execute enormous punts (there were a lot of them), aiding the team with better field position in the process.
His performances also earned him a Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection, his first in both categories. Along with punting, Bailey also handled placekick holding and kickoff duties. I started the #ProBowlBailey bandwagon back in training camp and I’m glad the readers chose him to receive the team’s MVP award.
A real Swiss army knife as a specialist, what a great player.
2nd Place – Damien Harris
Offensive POTY
(RB) Damien Harris
Cries from Patriots fans for a Damien Harris breakout year were answered in Week 4 again Kansas City, Harris started that game in the place of an injured Sony Michel and secured his first career 100-yard performance on the ground.
Although his season was cut short at the end due to an injury, Harris still managed to rack up 691 yards on the ground, along with two touchdowns, a promising second-season, as many see him as new leader at the position.
Harris, along with Jakobi Meyers were the only real good offensive breakout performances this year. Both were worthy of the OPOTY award, but Harris edges it in the reader vote.
2nd Place – Jakobi Meyers
Defensive POTY
(CB) J.C. Jackson
An obvious choice was confirmed in the voting this time, unlike his ridiculous Pro Bowl and All-Pro snub, J.C. Jackson has been an interception machine this season, and wrapped up his impressive haul against the Jets last Sunday with his ninth pick.
Jackson, originally an undrafted free agent, has excelled to one of the league’s best cornerbacks, along with Stephon Gilmore. Some may argue that Jackson’s picks covered up for some discrepancies in his play this year, which may be true, but results matter, and Jackson snagging almost double-digit interceptions in just one season is a cause for celebration.
J.C. is a restricted free agent this offseason, expect the patriots to place a tender on him and potentially look to a long-term deal, or a trade-in the coming year.
2nd Place – Stephon Gilmore
Comeback/Emergence POTY
(C) David Andrews
No real surprise with this one. After coming back from a near career-ending health emergency, David Andrews returned and was, for the most part, a solid rock at the heart of the Patriots offensive line.
Missing Andrews was felt last season and, along with Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason next to him, he put together some solid performances which enabled the run game to flourish at times. Andrews is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, and with Thuney expected to leave, retaining Andrews should be a high priority for the Patriots.
The fans felt his return, as they chose him as the comeback player of the year.
