NFL 2026 midseason awards: Joe Burrow, Greg Rousseau and David Bailey among my picks | Latest NFL News, Analysis and Updates

The Bills’ opportunistic defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard is led by a spectacular passer who is enjoying a breakout campaign that could make him a household name by season’s end. Rousseau fills up the stat sheet every week, with eight sacks, eight passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in eight games. While the numbers certainly put him in the discussion, his consistent play on the field makes him my midseason pick for the award. Rousseau recorded at least one sack in five of Buffalo’s eight games, with multi-sack outings in each of the first three weeks of the season (against the Texans, Lions and Chargers). This first sequence showcased his potential to “take charge of the game” in an offensive-style defense built around his dynamic skills. After adapting to the schematic adjustments of opponents trying to neutralize his disruptive play, Rousseau is back on the board with sacks in back-to-back weeks and five passes defensed in the last three games.