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Every year, since the 1971 NFL season, a Defensive Player of the Year award has been voted on. This is given to the player selected as the most impactful defensively during a specific season. In essence, it's the NFL MVP award, but only for defensive players. It's the highest individual defensive honor that NFL players have been able to achieve during their careers.
Only eight players have won the award more than once. Two-time winners include Ray Lewis, Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Mike Singletary, and Joe Greene. Three players have earned three Defensive Player of the Year awards, tied for the most by any player in NFL history.
#1 - Lawrence Taylor
Lawrence Taylor is the first player in NFL history to be named the Defensive Player of the Year three times. He did so in just a six-year span, earning the award for the 1981, 1982, and 1986 seasons, all with the New York Giants. He is widely considered to be one of the best defensive players to ever step on the football field.
Taylor is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He is also one of two defensive players ever, along with Alan Page, to win an NFL MVP award. Page was also the recipient of the first ever Defensive Player of the Year award in 1971. He did so with the Minnesota Vikings as a key part of the infamous Purple People Eaters defense.
#2 - J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt won an incredible three Defensive Player of the Year awards in just four years, topping Lawrence's accomplishment of six years. All three for Watt occurred while he was still with the Houston Texans in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Luke Kuechly won the award in between, during the 2013 season.
While injuries slowed him down a bit and ended his peak earlier than what would have been expected, Watt is still one of the best pass rushers of all-time. He currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals, but recently announced that he will officially retire at the conclusion of the 2022 NFL season. The next stop for Watt is the Hall of Fame.
#3 - Aaron Donald
Aaron Donald matched J.J. Watt by also winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards in four years. He did so in in 2017, 2018, and 2020, while Stephon Gilmore won the award for the 2019 season. Donald has the opportunity to be the first player ever to win the award four times, as he is the only multiple-time winner still active.
Donald has spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Rams. He is one of the best defensive players in the league and one of the best interior defensive linemen to ever play the game. He has been named a first-team All-Pro in an insane seven consecutive seasons. He was also a big reason why the Rams were able to win the Super Bowl during the 2021 season.
