Who Leads the Race for the Defensive Player of the Year Through 11 Games

The NFL Defensive Player of the Year award is a prestigious honor bestowed annually upon the standout defensive player in the National Football League. This award recognizes exceptional performance, skill, and impact on the game, highlighting the importance of defense in a sport often dominated by offensive statistics. The nominees represent the pinnacle of defensive talent, showcasing remarkable achievements such as tackles, interceptions, and sacks throughout the season. Winning this award not only affirms a player's prowess on the field but also solidifies their legacy within the league, with only eight players having won the award more than once. As we enter Week 12 of the NFL season, I would like to list my candidates for this year's race for the title of Defensive Player of the Year.

1. New York Giants - Defensive Tackle Dexter Lawrence

Big Dex has been a one-man wrecking ball for the New York Giants defense this season. His ability to not only stop the run but also be an elite pass rusher from the nose tackle position makes him an exceptional talent. His nine sacks place him third in the entire NFL, behind Trey Hendrickson and Myles Garrett, who will be featured later on this list. It is truly magnificent that a defensive tackle is among the league leaders in sacks, considering the next closest interior lineman is New York Jets DT Quinnen Williams, with six sacks. His impact on the game is most evident in the film, which shows that New York becomes almost laughably bad at stopping the run when he is off the field. While the pass rush can be effective at times, it is not nearly as good without him. Dexter has been an elite defender for the past few years, and this season, I believe he is poised to finally take the crown as the Defensive Player of the Year.

2. Cleveland Browns - Defensive End Myles Garrett

Well, what did I say? I told you Garrett would be mentioned again, and here he is at number two. In my opinion, Garrett and T.J. Watt are 1A and 1B in any given season for the title of best pass rusher in the entire NFL. On Thursday, the two went head-to-head in a matchup in which Garrett completely took over with four sacks in a Browns victory. As mentioned, Myles is second in the NFL in sacks with ten, but he is also tied for first in tackles for loss with thirteen. Not only is he actively wreaking havoc on opposing offenses, but he is also creating turnovers. Garrett has three forced fumbles on the year, only behind T.J. Watt, who has four.

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - Edge Rusher T.J. Watt

What can be said about Watt that people do not already know? The two-time DPOY winner's ability to rush the passer is nearly incomparable to anyone who has ever played the game, including his brother, J.J., who also won this award. By every facet of the word, Watt has created utter havoc for opposing offenses by getting after the quarterback or simply batting down passes at the line. I could easily envision a scenario where Watt continues as the betting odds favorite, as he is right now. For me, I believe Dexter's play from the interior position and Myles Garrett’s utterly dominant performance in their head-to-head matchup are going to be the two main factors that keep him behind them in voting discussions. However, just because I believe he could be in third does not mean I do not think he could be first if presented with a compelling argument, as with Garrett. That said, I am comfortable putting the two-time DPOY in third place on this list, but I will happily be proven wrong if Watt strings together some dominant performances in the next few weeks.