To win Defensive Player of the Year, the best path is to lead the league in sacks, which is what Nick Bosa and T.J. Watt accomplished the past two seasons, respectively.
For a far more difficult path, there’s alway the option of playing at the elite level of Aaron Donald, who has won DPOY three times in his decorated career.
But it wasn’t that long ago when Stephon Gilmore took home the prestigious award in 2019, becoming the first defensive back and cornerback to be named DPOY since Troy Polamalu in ’10 and Charles Woodson in ’09. Luke Kuechly, an inside linebacker—not an edge rusher—won the award in ’13.
So, full-time pass rushers don’t always win the award, but playing the position certainly helps. Here are our dark-horse candidates for DPOY:
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Matt Verderame: Alex Highsmith, OLB, Pittsburgh Steelers. Quick, who does Highsmith play for? Would you have known before seeing this article? If so, congratulations, because Highsmith might be the least-known star in football.
While the Steelers’ defense is rightfully known for a trio of stars in edge rusher T.J. Watt, defensive end Cam Heyward and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh has another blooming talent in the front seven.
In his first two seasons, Highsmith posted eight sacks and 21 quarterback hits, making him a useful but little-known player outside the Steel City. Then, in 2022, Highsmith exploded to lead the league with five forced fumbles while racking up 14.5 sacks and 20 quarterback hits. Somehow, the third-round pick was snubbed of All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors, but the Steelers rewarded him with a four-year, $68 million extension.
If Watt stays healthy this season, Highsmith should be even better with offensive coordinators paying the former extra attention.
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Gilberto Manzano: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Broncos. Surtain’s special individual season was overlooked last year because of how poorly the Broncos played during Russell Wilson’s first season in Denver.
It also didn’t help that the charismatic Sauce Gardner took the league by storm during his memorable rookie season with the Jets. But there’s a strong case to be made that Surtain had a better season than Gardner—the two cornerbacks were selected as first-team All-Pros in 2022. Surtain was tabbed by a group of anonymous league officials, coaches and players as the best cornerback in the NFL, according to an ESPN survey.
Expect Surtain to have another dominant season to make it clear that he’s the best cornerback in the league. He might not lead the league in interceptions, but quarterbacks’ avoiding his side of the field will make an impact in games to possibly help the Broncos have a bounce-back season.
Surtain recorded only two interceptions and 10 passes defended in 2022, but he allowed just 20.2 yards per game. Surtain is a difference-maker, and he’s worth a bet for DPOY.
