Myles Garrett making strong case to pip Aaron Donald to Defensive Player of the Year 

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has always been the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, but Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns may be changing the narrative.

The Rams are off to a strong 3-0 start after a statement win in Week 3 over the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. However, it didn’t further elevate Donald into the stratosphere as the early favorite to earn another Defensive Player of the Year award.

Myles Garrett putting pressure on Aaron Donald for Defensive Player of the Year

Instead, it’s seen Cleveland Browns star defensive end Myles Garrett leap forward in the discussion behind an impressive start. The Browns pushed to a 2-1 record after a convincing win over the Chicago Bears, anchored by a masterful defensive performance limiting the Bears to only 47 total offensive yards.

Garrett led the charge with a dominant outing with a game-high 4.5 sacks, seven total tackles, six quarterback hits and four stuffs. The 25-year-old set a single-game franchise record while bringing his season total to a league-best 5.5 sacks through the first three weeks.

"It's awesome seeing everybody getting off and making big plays," Garrett said via ESPN after the Week 3 win. "It's just like when you are in high school, everybody is balling and you feel like you can make a play at any time and you feel like you're the star."

Garrett has established himself as one of the game’s best defensive players, while his monstrous performance against the Bears has him on pace to finish with a league-record 29.5 sacks over the 17-game regular season.

It remains quite early in the year, but Garrett is building a strong case to earn the award for the first time in his career. Beyond that, he’s proving to be worth every penny of the five-year, $125 million extension he inked in July 2020.

Although Donald isn’t off to a statistically strong start with two sacks and a forced fumble, he’s sure to round into dominant form as the season rolls along. He will anchor the Rams defense, which appears to again be one of the league’s top units.

Meanwhile, other players such as Chandler Jones, who has 5.0 sacks, and Trevon Diggs, who has three interceptions, have each made some strong early cases. There is plenty of time for others to also jump into conversations in the coming weeks.

The award isn’t Garrett’s to lose by any means, but he’s in the driver’s seat after the first three games.

---