Two-time Defensive Player of the Year runner-up Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys is the favorite to win the award in 2023/24.
Parsons, entering his third NFL season, was the runner-up for the award in each of his first two years.
Nick Bosa won the award in 2022/23 after finishing with 18.5 sacks and helping the San Francisco 49ers to a 13-4 record, a NFC West title and an appearance in the NFC Championship game.
Past winners still in the league are Bosa, T.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, and Stephon Gilmore.
Will we see a fist-time winner this season, like Parsons or Myles Garrett? Or will we have a repeat winner, like Bosa or Watt?
Let's take a look at the favorites to win 2023/24 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Parsons has been nearly unstoppable his first two years in the NFL.
He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021/22 out of Penn State with 13 sacks, before helping lead the Cowboys to a 12-5 record and their first playoff win in four years last season.
In his sophomore campaign, Parsons had 13.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, 65 tackles and 26 QB Hits.
Parsons had two tackles, one sack, and a tackle for a loss in the Cowboys' Week 1 win against the New York Giants.
Watt, the 2021/22 NFL Defensive Player of the Year after finishing with a Pittsburgh Steelers franchise record 22.5 sacks that season, suffered through an injury-plagued 2022/23 campaign.
He played in only 10 games and recorded just 5.5 sacks as the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.
Watt has 77.5 sacks in six seasons and is poised to join his brother J.J. as multiple time winners of this award.
In the Steelers' 30-7 Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Watt recorded five tackles, three sacks, a tackle for a loss, and a pass defended.
He continued his superstar level of play in Week 2 with a fumble recovery for a touchdown, a pass defended, two tackles for a loss, and a sack as the Steelers beat the Cleveland Browns 26-22.
Garrett finished fifth in the 2022/23 DPOY voting after recording 16 sacks for the second consecutive season, to go along with 60 tackles, two forced fumbles and 26 QB Hits.
He now has 74.5 sacks in six seasons with the Cleveland Browns and is a consistent force on the outside.
Garrett recorded two tackles, one sack and a tackle for the loss in the Browns' 24-3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
The Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line kept him quiet in Week 2 as he didn't record any tackles in the Steelers' 26-22 win over the Browns.
Bosa was a dominant, terrorizing force for the 49ers, recording 18.5 sacks to win his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year award last season.
The 2019/20 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year has 49 sacks through four seasons, despite missing almost all of the 2020/21 campaign.
The 49ers went 6-10 that year, the only time they have missed the playoffs during Bosa’s tenure with the team.
With an unsettled quarterback situation coming off the Brock Purdy injury, Bosa and the 49ers’ No. 1-ranked defense will continue to lead the way.
He has been quiet early this season as he recorded one tackle in the 49ers Week 1 win and one tackle for a loss in their Week 2 win.
Like Parsons the year before, Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner exploded on to the NFL scene as a rookie in 2022/23.
He won Defensive Rookie of the Year and finished 8th in DPOY voting with six interceptions, one returned for a touchdown.
His presence at the back end of the defense will be foundational to any success the Jets have.
Gardner had two tackles in the Jets' 22-16 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. In Week 2, he defended one pass and made four total tackles as the Jets lost to the Dallas Cowboys 30-10.
Las Vegas raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby claimed a career-high 12.5 sacks last season, also registering 58 solo tackles and 31 assists.
All of those stats were improvements on his efforts during his previous three seasons in the NFL and the former Eastern Michigan star still has room for further improvement.
Crosby recorded one sack and two tackles in the Raiders' Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos. He recorded four total tackles in the Raiders' Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Odds displayed within this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
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