The Los Angeles Rams have announced defensive lineman Aaron Donald, safety Jordan Fuller, left tackle Andrew Whitworth, and right tackle Rob Havenstein as the recipients of their team awards for the 2020 NFL season.
It should come as no surprise to see that Donald earned the Daniel F. Reeves Memorial Award, which is given to the team’s most valuable player. This is the third year in a row he has won the award and remains as deserving as ever after finishing the season with 13.5 sacks, 44 total tackles, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. Aside from this award, he is also the top candidate for his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year honor.
Whitworth was given the Carl Ekern Spirit of the Game Award that is given to the player who best exemplifies sportsmanship, ethic, and commitment to teammates. The veteran was the epitome of a leader during an unprecedented campaign that was plagued by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
He led a number of philanthropic efforts throughout the year and was playing some of his best football before suffering a knee injury in Week 10. Fortunately, he was able to make his return in time to help the Rams advance to the next round of the playoffs.
Fuller earned the Carroll Rosenbloom Memorial Award, which is given to the team’s rookie of the year. Despite the surplus of talent that made up the secondary, it was the sixth-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft that managed to take this group by storm. He emerged as quite a steal by registering 55 total tackles, three interceptions, and five pass breakups in 12 starts.
Havenstein received the Ed Block Courage Award that is given to a player who is a role model of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage. He had been coming off an injury-plagued 2019 campaign that saw him miss the final seven games with a knee injury.
However, he was able to dispel any questions about his durability by starting in all 16 games this season and serving as a stabilizing factor up front when Whitworth went down.
