NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Ranking NFL DPOY candidates, latest NFL DPOY odds

Much of the focus during the NFL season centers on the battles for the Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year. However, with the old saying that defense wins championships, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year is also an important battle. Here we’ll take a look at the race for NFL DPOY and provide an analysis of our NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidates rankings.

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Let’s dive into our NFL Defensive Player of the Year ballot, including NFL stats for each of the top five DPOY candidates and NFL DPOY winners.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year race: Stats Comparison

Rank	Player	Sacks	TFL	QB Hits	Pressures	PRWR	PFF grade
1	T.J. Watt	7.5	12	18	27	20%	92.9
2	Dexter Lawrence	9.0	8	15	36	N/A	89.8
3	Chris Jones	3.0	5	10	46	19%	89.5
4	Trey Hendrickson	11.5	12	24	55	27%	89.2
5	Will Anderson Jr	7.5	11	10	37	23%	78.0

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With the NFL stats out of the way, let’s dive into the breakdown of our NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidates right now.

NFL DPOY candidates rankings

1. T.J. Watt, EDGE, Pittsburgh Steelers

• TJ Watt stats (ESPN): 27 solo tackles, 18 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 8.5 stuffs, 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries

After falling short of winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt entered the 2024 season with a chip on his shoulder. Unsurprisingly, that’s helped fuel him to become the best defensive player in the NFL this season. Watt leads the NFL in forced fumbles (four), he ranks seventh in sacks (7.5) and he has the second-most tackles for loss (12) this season. While Watt is currently on track to fall short of leading the NFL in sacks for the fourth time in his career, he remains on pace for his sixth season with at least 13 sacks in his eight-year career.

2. Dexter Lawrence, DT, New York Giants

• Dexter Lawrence (ESPN): 21 solo tackles, 15 quarterback hits, 8 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 3 stuffs and 1 pass deflection

Put Dexter Lawrence on a better team and he’s probably under consideration for the best defensive player in the NFL every year. The New York Giants defensive tackle played at an absurd level in 2023 and he’s arguably been even better this season. Lawrence already hit his career-high for sacks (9.0). doubling his total from 16 games last season. He’s also set a career-high in tackles for loss (eight) and is on pace for his third consecutive season with at least 20 quarterback hits. If the Giants secondary were better, Lawrence would have an even easier time getting to opposing quarterbacks.

3. Chris Jones, DT, Kansas City Chiefs

• Chris Jones stats (ESPN): 13 solo tackles, 10 quarterback hits, 5 tackles for loss, 3.5 stuffs, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble

The NFL stats for Chris Jones might not jump off the page. Through 10 games, the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle is on pace to finish with his lowest totals in QB hits, tackles for loss and sacks since 2021. However, the All-Pro defensive lineman is finding other ways to impact the game. Jones leads all defensive tackles in ESPN pass-rush win rate (19 percent) and he’s double-teamed (72 percent) more than any defensive lineman in the NFL. Jones’s presence doesn’t show up in the box score but he is by far one of the most valuable non-quarterbacks in the NFL today.

4. Trey Hendrickson, EDGE, Cincinnati Bengals

• Trey Hendrickson stats (ESPN): 24 solo tackles, 24 quarterback hits, 12 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, 5 pass deflections, 3.5 stuffs and 1 fumble recovery

If Trey Hendrickson played for a contender or even a league-average defense, he might be the front-runner for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The Cincinnati Bengals edge rusher leads the NFL in sacks (11.5) and he’s tied for second with T.J. Watt in tackles for loss (12). The advanced NFL stats love him too, with Hendrickson boasting the second-highest ESPN pass-rush win rate (27 percent) at his position. Unfortunately, Cincinnati has very little around him and that’s resulted in a bottom-five defense this season. It’s just a shame the Bengals refused to move him at the NFL trade deadline, because he could have wreaked havoc with a team like the Detroit Lions or Atlanta Falcons.

5. Will Anderson Jr, EDGE, Houston Texans

• Will Anderson Jr stats (ESPN): 20 solo tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, 7.5 sacks, 6 stuffs, 1 pass deflection, 1 fumbl recovery in 9 games

Will Anderson Jr. has essentially missed three games with an ankle injury he suffered minutes into a Week 9 matchup against the New York Jets. Before that, the Houston Texans edge rusher averaged 1.4 tackles for loss, 1.3 quarterback hits and 0.9 sacks per game. For comparison, T.J. Watt is averaging 1.2 tackles for loss and 0.8 sacks per game while Trey Hendrickson is averaging 1.1 tackles for loss and 1 sack per game. Once Anderson Jr is healthy, he could ascend rapidly in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year race.

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NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds 2024

Here are the latest NFL DPOY odds as of Tuesday, November 19 from DraftKings.

• T.J. Watt – -200
• Chris Jones – +1000
• Dexter Lawrence – +1000
• Will Anderson Jr – +1200
• Trey Hendrickson – +1200
• Kerby Joseph – +1600
• Nick Bosa – +1600
• Xavier McKinney – +1600
• Brian Branch – +1600
• Jalen Carter – +2200
• Patrick Surtain III – +2500

NFL Defensive Player of the Year winners

Here are the NFL Defensive Player of the Year winners over the last 20 seasons.

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NFL Defensive Player of the Year winners by position

• Linebacker: 17 times
• Defensive End: 15 times
• Defensive Tackle: 10 times
• Cornerbacks: 6 times
• Safety: 5 times

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