Who will be named the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year?

With the 2022 NFL season finally about to kick off, it's time to analyze which top players will perform and which will disappoint. One of the most prestigious individual awards for players is the Defensive Player of the Year.

Last year, the award went to outside linebacker T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He recorded 22.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss and forced five fumbles, recovering three. It was a dominant display from the edge for Watt.

But who will win it in the upcoming NFL campaign? A lot of talented defensive players could easily be in contention for DPOY and whittling the list down to three was a challenge. Here are my top three candidates to take home Defensive Player of the Year honors this upcoming season:

#1. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers

NFL Regular Season - San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa

Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers is pretty much right there in that elite tier of edge defenders with T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett. Considering the teams those guys are on, the 49ers star defensive end should easily have the best chance of playing with the lead and producing big pressure numbers.

Like everything else, this will depend on how consistent Trey Lance can be at quarterback. But assuming they’ll at least be about equal offensively and the second-year guy can provide some more explosive plays, I believe San Francisco’s defense can take advantage of positive game-scripts and will be near the top of the league.

I like what Charvarius Ward can bring as a physical boundary corner to complement what they want in that quarters-based system, taking away the primary read on the backside more regularly. With the guys they’ve brought in to replenish that depth on the D-line, Nick Bosa will be fresh and ready to hunt.

#2. Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers

NFL Regular Season - Green Bay Packers outside linebacker Rashan Gary

The other name on the edge I want to talk about here is Rashan Gary of the Green Bay Packers. Not many people may have noticed how much he improved last season, but according to Pro Football Focus, the Packers' outside linebacker finished ahead of that trio of elite NFL edge rushers (and behind only the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby) with 81 total pressures last season. However, he “only” logged 9.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles in terms of traditional statistics.

A lot of the great work he does is bench-pressing tight-ends to re-set the point of attack in the run game and in creating negative plays. I believe that the Packers defense could be really special this upcoming season. Especially with All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander back healthy and a couple of guys from that historic Georgia defense added to the front-seven. If more of his pressures and impact plays turn into sacks and TFLs, Gary will get some attention in the upcoming NFL season.

#3. Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers

NFL Regular Season - Los Angeles Chargers v Cleveland Browns

For the third guy up here, there were a few different ways I could have gone. But I ultimately settled upon Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers. This also backs up my belief in the 2022 Chargers and particularly their improvements on defense.

Last NFL season, they had major issues on that side of the ball, with Brandon Staley implementing his system. This was because they didn’t have the bodies up front to compensate for the negative box numbers they were in or a legitimate boundary corner they could rely upon in solo coverage on the backside. Now, they are loaded with guys who can win that half gap back, to make them stouter on early downs and allow the coaching staff to be more creative in passing situations.

By drafting Baylor’s rangy safety prospect J.T. Woods, they can use James closer to the line of scrimmage in three-safety sets. This takes advantage of his skills as a blitzer, matching him with tight-ends and just letting him roam in-between the hashes as a hole defender/de facto dime backer. I could see him really fill the stat sheet and garner credit for their turnaround on that side of the ball for one of the AFC’s top teams.

If you enjoyed this breakdown, please make sure to check out the original piece, where I also predict all the other awards and the playoff picture, leading up to Super Bowl LVII.