With the season closing in on us at a rapid pace things in the NFL are becoming more and more clear as far as final rosters and depth charts. With those things out of the way it comes time for projections! In this series we will be going through each individual award and pick five players that we think have a great shot at bringing home the medal. Today we will be looking at the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award. He are our five picks.
1. Dallas Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons
Can Micah Parsons, the winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award last season, come back in full force and defend his crown? There is absolutely no reason to think he can’t. Now entering his third season, Parsons has proven to be an unstoppable whirlwind wherever the Cowboys have put him on the field. Parsons is without a doubt one of the most talented players in the entire league, and with another season of maturation under his belt, there is little doubt he should be the favorite to win the award once again. This Cowboys defense is going to be stacked for years to come.
2. Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald has already won the award for Defensive Player of the Year a whopping three times in his career, and while he slowed down a bit last year due to injury, there is no signs of him slowing down in the near future. Donald is still the most respected and feared defensive lineman in the game, and is ab absolute game wrecker who must be accounted for on every single snap. There still isn’t a lineman in the league who can block the all-pro player, and his dominance is sure to bounce back in the 2023 season.
3. Cleveland Browns EDGE Myles Garrett
It almost feels odd that Myles Garrett has not previously taken the Defensive Player of the Year award home in his career given he has been one of the most consistently productive and talented edge rushers in the game since he entered the league. Back to back sixteen sack seasons are nothing to scoff at, and given his natural talent and fiery wok ethic, Garrett should once again be able to surpass the fifteen sack mark. If he can put up career bests, and continue to be the unlockable force that he is, Garrett may be able to add another award to his already dominant career.
4. Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt
While he seven games last season, even in the games he was in it was clear T.J. Watt was not at 100% during the 2022 season. Given Watt is just two seasons removed from tying Michael Strahan with most sacks in a season, it would be a fools errand to write him off from winning the Defensive Player of the Year award once again. With Pittsburgh’s defense looking as good it has ever been in the last half decade, Watt should be able to flourish and once again take over the league if he is not respected off the edge. He wouldn’t be the only Watt to win the award more than once.
5. Carolina Panthers EDGE Brian Burns
One of the most gifted young edge rushers in the league, Brian Burns looks ready to explode in this new Ejiro Evero defense. Coming off a career high 12.5 sacks last season, Burns is going to be put in the best positions possible now shifting to a more 3-4 look defense. The addition of one of the best defensive minds in football in Evero is good news for this whole Panthers defense, and he will surely know how to get the most out of the young Carolina superstar. David Tepper better be ready to bust open the piggy bank for this impending free agent who is looking to have another career year.
