Who Will Win Defensive Player of the Year?
We take a look at the top contenders for the 2020 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and make our predictions.
J.J. Watt
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is an annual award given to the best defensive player in the National Football League (NFL). The winner is chosen by a panel of 50 NFL writers and broadcasters. The winner is usually announced at the NFL Honors, a televised awards show that takes place the night before the Super Bowl.
J.J. Watt is a three-time winner of the award, and he is widely considered to be one of the best defensive players in NFL history. He has been named first-team All-Pro five times, and he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Decade for the 2010s.
Watt has said that he wants to win the award again in 2020, and he appears to be in good position to do so. He finished the 2019 season with 61 tackles, nine sacks, and four forced fumbles. He also had an interception and a touchdown.
Aaron Donald
There is no doubt that defensive tackle Aaron Donald is one of the best defensive players in the NFL. In fact, he may be the best. He has been named first-team All-Pro four times and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
So, it should come as no surprise that Donald is one of the favorites to win Defensive Player of the Year again in 2020. According to oddsmakers, he is tied for the second-best odds to win the award at +400.
The only player with better odds than Donald is defensive end Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, who is listed at +350.
Garrett had a very good 2019 season, recording 10 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in just 10 games. He also forced four fumbles and had two fumble recoveries.
The case could be made that Garrett was even more dominant than Donald last season, but Donald has been so good for so long that he gets the benefit of the doubt. Plus, Garrett missed six games due to suspension, which will likely hurt his chances of winning the award.
Another player who could be in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year is San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner. Warner had a breakout 2019 season, recording 134 tackles, six sacks and four interceptions. He was named first-team All-Pro and should be even better in 2020 with another year of experience under his belt. Oddsmakers have Warner listed at +1200 to win Defensive Player of the Year, which puts him behind both Donald and Garrett.
There are a few other players with a shot at winning Defensive Player of the Year, but these three seem like they will be at or near the top of most people’s lists. So, it will likely come down to Garrett, Donald and Warner fighting it out for the award. If I had to pick one right now, I would go with Donald (+400), but this race could certainly change as we get closer to the start of the season.
Luke Kuechly
The Carolina Panthers linebacker is the three-time winner of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, and he’s the only player to win the award in back-to-back seasons.
