Lance's Defensive Player of the Year Candidates

Lance Leach -

Aaron Donald is the headliner for who is missing off my list. His stats last season were still solid, though nowhere near what he posted in 2018. The biggest concern I have with his chances of getting DPOY is how bad this Rams defense will end up being this year. Fowler, Littleton, Talib, and Peters are all gone. While Peters and Talib were both out of town by mid-season last year, their presence on the back end will still be missed. Jalen Ramsey is better than both of them, but he can’t play both sides of the field. The losses that are going to hurt Donald more are Fowler and Littleton. Leonard Floyd is no Dante Fowler, he’s not going to draw as much attention, which means teams are going to be able to focus even more on shutting down Donald. And unless they find someone who can have an impact like Littleton, opponents won’t have to worry as much about getting to the second level of the Rams defense. Donald will still be good, but he won’t have a good enough year to win DPOY.

Khalil Mack is not on my list either. He was left off mostly because of the state of the Bears franchise. Look what happened to this defense last year! They fell way off and that includes Mack’s stats. It’s hard for a defense to remain dominant when the offense is a joke with a cruddy punchline. Foles will be an upgrade over Trubisky, but not by much.

Stephon Gilmore, last year’s DPOY and the last player I’ll point out as being off my list. I like Gilmore’s game, and I’m even more impressed by what he was able to do last season when you consider the lack of elite pass rushers in New England’s front seven. Things are going to be harder on New England's defense this year if the offense fails horribly and causes the defense to spend way more time on the field.

Here are my top 5:

1)      Edge Von Miller (Denver)

Reason: Last season, Miller had a single-digit sack total for only the second time in his career. Prior to 2019 it had been a few years since we had heard Von Miller’s name mentioned as a serious threat to taking home DPOY honors. That has a lot to do with the Denver teams he was playing on. I think this year we’ll see him light up the stat sheet and he’ll return to the spotlight under a resurgent Broncos team.

2)      CB Marcus Peters (Baltimore)

Reason: Baltimore loaded up their D-Line and improved their Linebackers. They have Marlon Humphrey who is arguably better than Peters starting on the opposite side and a solid starter in Jimmy Smith when he’s healthy. What does all this mean for Peters? The improved D-Line is going to put pressure on opposing QBs. The solid starters at the other Corner positions will prevent opposing passers from looking away from Peters’ side of the field. Peters is a ballhawk, he has the opportunity to rack up interceptions this season and we all know how much voters love the flashy stats.

3)      Edge T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh)

Reason: Watt's sack progression: 7 in 2017, 13 in 2018, 14.5 in 2019. I believe that number is going to continue going up and he has the ability to hit 20+ this year on a talented Pitt defense. Short and sweet, not much else to add.

4)      Edge Za’Darius Smith (Green Bay)

Reason: Smith was good in Baltimore, but he hit a whole different level during his first season in Green Bay. As this defense continues to gel and the younger talent grows, we’ll get to see Smith hit even higher highs. I could've easily put Preston Smith in this slot as well, who was another big reason why Green Bay's defense played so well last season. Their stats were also pretty similar in 2019, Za'Darius finished with 1 more tackle and 1.5 more sacks, but Preston made his presence felt in coverage too with 4 deflections and 1 pick. Expect to see at least one of the Smiths in the running at the end of this season.

5)      CB Tre’Davious White (Buffalo)

Reason: White’s 2019 was slightly overshadowed by Gilmore’s performance. He continues to dominate on the outside, Buffalo’s defense didn’t take any major losses over the offseason, and Sean McDermott is still calling the shots. White will remain relevant and in the running for DPOY.