With Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson sustaining a season-ending injury in practice following a dazzling Week 8 performance against the Seattle Seahawks, the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award (OROY) opened up to the rest of the field.
This year's rookie class was then dominated by the running-back position, despite solid campaigns from receivers such as JuJu Smith-Schuster and Cooper Kupp. Jacksonville Jaguars No. 4 pick Leonard Fournette powered the league's best rushing attack and helped get the upstart Jags all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Limited to just 13 games due to a nagging injury and a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules, he's likely to fall short on merit in the eyes of voters.
The true competition is between Kareem Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs and Alvin Kamara of the New Orleans Saints. Here, theScore's Esten McLaren and Dylan Perego debate who is the most worthy candidate.
EM: Given the starting job out of preseason following Spencer Ware's season-ending injury, Hunt went on to lead the league with 1,327 rushing yards, adding another 455 yards through the air on 325 total touches. He lost just one fumble while scoring 11 combined touchdowns. His 4.9 yards per carry tied him for the most among players with at least 200 attempts. As the league's top conventional running back, while also showing versatility in the passing game, he's most worthy of being named the top offensive rookie.
DP: Despite the limitations of sharing touches with Mark Ingram and, for a time, Adrian Peterson, Kamara punished defenses for 728 rushing yards while adding another 826 receiving yards, resulting in 13 combined touchdowns. Kamara's production didn't end there, as he even returned a kickoff for a touchdown. His 6.1 yards per carry (120 attempts) and 10.2 yards per catch (81 receptions) prove he is a lethal contributor in multiple areas, and that his overall production more than warrants him being named OROY.
EM: Kamara's stats and production as a dual threat are impressive, but he was largely a luxury for the Saints, who received Pro Bowl-worthy seasons from Ingram and No. 1 wide receiver Michael Thomas. Hunt was relied on much more heavily by the Chiefs, playing 64.9 percent of offensive snaps to Kamara's 44.7 percent. His immense value to the team was demonstrated during a seven-game stretch in which he failed to top 20 carries in all but one game, with that being the lone game won by the Chiefs during the stretch.
DP: The Saints also suffered from a lack of usage for Kamara, as he exceeded five carries just once and five receptions just twice in the Saints' five regular-season losses. Despite those limitations, Kamara was able to make history by setting the all-time NFL record for average offensive yards per touch with 7.7 (min. 200 touches), and did so amazingly by not being the prime option out of his team's backfield. That level of accomplishment is special given the amount of opportunity, and, luxury or not, it demands recognition.
EM: Kamara's record-setting efficiency deserves plenty of credit, but I'll stand by Hunt as meaning more to his team. The rookie running back should be credited with at least aiding Alex Smith's career year under center, allowing the 33-year-old quarterback to set career highs in passing yards, touchdowns, and passer rating, while averaging a career-best 8.00 yards per attempt. Add in the fact that Hunt's production came with only five snaps played and one carry in Week 17 while resting for the playoffs, and he's the best choice for this year's honor.
DP: There will always be those who view yearly totals as the best indicator of award worthiness, but from my point of view, Kamara proved himself to be the more dangerous and valuable player. Not only did he make the absolute most of his opportunities at an elite pace, but his presence deflected attention away from others like Ingram and Thomas and allowed the Saints to be a much more feared and successful team. Both have the potential to be franchise running backs, but as far as 2018 is concerned, it's Kamara who deserves the hardware.
