Which LA Rams players have a chance to win an NFL award in 2023?

Amidst all of the hedging over the LA Rams 2023 NFL season lies some silver lining as well. Sure, this team is a bit on the nebulous side, a group of young or simply inexperienced NFL players who will be promoted as much out of necessity as talent, and the LA Rams will hope for the best. Hope for the best, sure. But the only way to avoid disappointment and mid-season meltdowns is to allow for the fact that many of the Rams players are about to experience their first season in the NFL, and mistakes are bound to happen.

While we practice strengthening our patience, there is a flip side to this coin. What are the chances for any of the LA Rams rookies to land one of the coveted Rookies of the Year awards? For that matter, what are the odds for any LA Rams player to earn a coveted award this season? Well, for that answer, we dialed up the FanDuel NFL: Season Awards Betting Odds as of May 22, 2023, to find out.

AP NFL Regular Season MVP 2023-24

I - Matthew Stafford: +6000 LA Rams veteran quarterback is on the radar, currently with +6000 odds of being honored with the AP NFL Regular Season MVP 2023-24. Does Stafford have a shot this season? Well, realistically speaking, his chance rests in the hope that the LA Rams can shock the NFL and earn a playoff berth this season.

II - Cooper Kupp: +15000 Stafford's teammate, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, is on the fringe of winning the award, currently believed to have +15000 odds of being honored. For him to have a legitimate shot, he will need to break the NFL All-Time Single Season Receiver records He could, but it's an uphill battle.

III - Aaron Donald: +20000 Finally, venerable LA Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald makes the list as well, with a +20000 odds of being honored. With so many honors and accolades already in his trophy case, it seems fitting that one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL has this added to his NFL career. While it's next to impossible, never say never when you are talking about Aaron Donald.

AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year 2023-24

I - Cooper Kupp: +2000 The truth is that the Rams have one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in Cooper Kupp, and if he is healthy this season, he is clearly one of the favorites to win this distinguished honor. But he is not the only player from the LA Rams roster to be named.

II - Matthew Stafford: +12000 There is a very symbiotic relationship between Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and receiver Cooper Kupp. If Stafford's only 1000-yard receiver is Kupp, then look for Kupp to be the lead for this honor. But if Stafford can unlock multiple 1000-yard receivers this season for the Rams' offense, he could be a dark horse for this honor.

III - Cams Akers: +25000 If you feel a bit crazy, the fact that LA Rams running back Cam Akers is even on this list could be a positive omen. After all, he has not even had a single 1000-yard season so far. But he finished the season with three consecutive100+ yard games. While some LA Rams fans were not overly impressed, it appears that oddsmakers were.

AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year 2023-24

The next category, and any defensive category for that matter, will not have a strong showing by the LA Rams this season. In fact, the LA Rams have just one player named for this category, and I bet you already know who he is.

I - Aaron Donald: +2000 LA Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald is the lone Rams defender to appear as a player who could earn this honor. If you are a strategic gambler, the fact is that Donald's supporting cast is not highly regarded among NFL analysts and sports writers this season. That translates into the fact that a great season from Donald will carry more weight than other players up for this award.

AP NFL Coach of the Year 2023-24

I - Sean McVay: +3000 To tell you the truth, I'm not clear why LA Rams head coach Sean McVay is ranked so low among his peers for this award. Is it because he has already proven to be among the best NFL head coaches in the league? Or is this simply the oddsmakers' way of giving him a vote of no confidence for the 2023 NFL season?

AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year 2023-24

I - Cooper Kupp: +2500 The NFL Comeback Player of the Year is a tricky award because it not only relies on the player's performance in 2023 but the injury that they are recovering from last season. The truth of the matter is that Cooper Kupp went down in Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season due to a high ankle sprain, a painful injury for a receiver who plants and pivots, and was kept on IR for the remainder of the season.

II - Matthew Stafford: +2800 Matthew Stafford is like those old TIMEX watch commercials, he takes a licking and keeps right on ticking. The LA Rams' lack of pass protection in 2022 certainly put Stafford to the test. Stafford was entered into the NFL Concussion protocol one week, and when he returned, he complained of a tingling sensation in his fingertips.

AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2023-24

I - Zach Evans: +6000 This one is a complete shocker, but it's quite clear that the NFL Oddsmakers love the fit of Ole Miss running back Zach Evans in the LA Rams offense, and I have to say that I am in complete agreement. As if he needed any extra incentive, the fact that the third-best running back in the 2023 NFL Draft fell to a spot on Day 3 with the 215th overall pick will put a chip on his shoulder.

Evans has the makings of a solid NFL starting running back. If the Rams are renewing a commitment to the running attack, then Evans is the perfect weapon for the Rams' offense. The question remains, just how committed are the Rams to running the football? If they do, then Zach Evans could be a tremendous weapon in the NFL.

II - Stetson Bennett: +10000 The NFL Oddsmakers did not overlook the potential synergy that arose when the LA Rams drafted former Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett. Not only did he dominate in college football, but he also arrived in the NFL as the instant backup quarterback to the LA Rams veteran QB Matthew Stafford. That means that Bennett is one ding, bump, or bruise away from being a starting quarterback for the LA Rams.

That may never happen this season. Or it could happen early. If Bennett plays quarterback for the LA Rams, I believe that he can and will deliver. Perhaps not to the level of legendary Kurt Warner. But I could see a Gardner Minshew level of production from him.

AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2023-24

Shockingly, and despite the fact that the LA Rams defense is a wide-open group to starting rookies, the NFL Oddsmakers offer no Rams rookie a snowball's chance in hell of earning the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2023-24. So, in the absence of FanDuel-endorsed rookies, here are my thoughts as to some Rams rookies who hold a remote chance of being honored in this category.

I - Tre Tomlinson: +12000 While there are many NFL scouts and analysts that downgraded the NFL potential of the 5-foot-8 178-pound defensive back out of TCU named Tre Tomlinson (full name is Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson), the LA Rams saw through that bias. Perhaps it was the amazing success of DB Darious Williams, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 187 pounds that gives the Rams organization the confidence in Tomlinson. But this all starts an opportunity, and I would not be the least bit surprised if Tre Tomlinson starts for the Rams secondary on Day 1.

II - Byron Young: +12000 LA Rams' newest rookie outside linebacker Byron Young may be starting anew with the Rams and the NFL, but he arrives at the age of 25 years old, which is as old as veteran outside linebacker Michael Hoecht. While that has discouraged some from recognizing his potential upside, I believe that this gives Young a far more mature and unique perspective throughout his NFL journey. In short, Young will be more focused on the moment, and that gives him a competitive advantage. I think Young earns a starting role as the outside linebacker for the LA Rams.

III - Kobie Turner: +15000 The LA Rams roster needed to add rookie defensive linemen, and may have found a future fan favorite in DL Kobie Turner. While I don't believe that he will start as a rookie for the Rams defensive line, I do believe that he has the opportunity to contribute as a significant rotational player, and his ability will make it next to impossible for the Rams to keep him on the bench.

Despite the fact that the LA Rams are a rather young and raw team, the Rams roster still boasts the potential to have elite performances in the 2023 NFL season. Who will deliver for the LA Rams this season? Will any player on the Rams roster deliver this season? That's the fun of the offseason, isn't it? In shorts and tee-shirts, practically every player on the roster of any NFL team has the look of a future Pro Bowler.

We know that the LA Rams team is focused on building something special in the future. But that future can start now. And for the young players who are competing for playing time and roster spots, that future is now.