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.
