By Larry Rupp
It’s no secret the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award has been dominated by Aaron Donald as of late. The Los Angeles Rams’ defensive tackle has taken home the hardware in three of the last four years. However, he checks in at a distant third in the current odds for the 2021-22 season at +750.
Two players continue to pull away from the rest with every week of action that goes down. It only makes sense that they are divisional rivals, too. With that being said, let’s take a look at Myles Garrett’s and TJ Watt’s chances of finishing on top.
Myles Garrett (+300)
Garrett has been a force along the defensive line ever since the Browns selected him out of Texas A&M with the No. 1 overall pick back in 2017. It looks as if he has finally put it all together during this fall, though. The 25-year-old is among the league leaders in sacks and has already matched his career high in tackles for loss before the midway point of the season.
The Browns are fighting for a playoff spot and Garrett’s impact on the field isn’t going unnoticed. The two-time Pro Bowl lineman has been a human highlight reel and consistently finds his way into the opposing backfield using a flurry of different moves. He explodes off the line on every snap and has insane speed for a player that stands 6-foot-4 and weighs 271 pounds.
The only thing holding Garrett back from winning DPOY is his injury history. The Browns’ star has missed six games over the last two seasons and is dealing with a lingering knee issue in 2021. All things considered, it’d be shocking to see him lose it if he finishes as the sack leader.
There goes the Sack Reaper! ⚡️@Flash_Garrett | #Browns pic.twitter.com/ctzU93c0k7
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 31, 2021
TJ Watt (+350)
TJ Watt’s leadership on the Pittsburgh defense compares well to that of his brother JJ during his prime a few years ago. The former Wisconsin standout recently became the fourth-fastest player in NFL history to record 60 career sacks, doing so in just 69 games.
The biggest thing Watt has going for him in this race is his ability to make an impact in a variety of ways. The veteran has kept pace with Garrett in sacks while also racking up forced fumbles and pass breakups. Keep in mind that he is doing all of this despite missing one full game and hardly playing in another due to an injury. The Steelers went 0-2 in those games, by the way.
Pittsburgh ranks within the top 10 NFL teams in points allowed for a reason. Watt knows how to run this defense and is single-handedly trying to will this team to an AFC playoff spot. He has a bit of underrated value at +350 and is going to give Garrett a run for his money during the second half of the season. After all, he almost won the award last year before being named the runner-up.
TJ Watt with ANOTHER sack ‼️
— ESPN (@espn) November 9, 2021
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/u8tXuO42bz
Picture Credit: Flickr
