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The NFL Defensive Player of the Year award is a race that feels close to some but not executives around the league. San Francisco 49ers star defensive end Nick Bosa was the runaway leader in a poll of NFL executives for the award, getting 17.5 votes. Bosa currently leads the NFL in sacks with 15.5 to go along with his 16 tackles for loss and 41 tackles.
Last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, got eight votes. The Cowboys star is fourth in sacks this season at 13 and has 14 tackles for loss and 59 tackles. Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett has also received votes. Garrett is currently third in the league with 13.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 42 tackles.
Like Parsons, Bosa was an NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year winner back in the 2019 - 2020 season. That season, the former Ohio State star had nine sacks, 16 tackles for loss, and 25 quarterback hits. He was second on the 49ers in sacks that season.
As the 2022 - 2023 regular season winds down, the race for the award does boil down to these three superstars. It's a matter of who has the advantage in the race thus far.
Which player has the best the chance to be the NFL Defensive Player of the Year?
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year award has been won by either a linebacker, defensive tackle or defensive end in five of the last six years. The exception was cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who won it back in 2019 with the New England Patriots. The odds look good for Bosa, Parsons, and Garrett to take home the award this season.
Yet, it seems that Bosa might be the favorite because of last year's winner, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Last season, the Steelers' three-time All-Pro had 22.5 sacks, tied for the most in a single season in NFL history. With a few games left in the regular season, could Nick Bosa reach 20 sacks?
Yet, don't count out Parsons or Garrett, but they will have their work cut out for them to become the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
