With seven weeks of the 2023 NFL season almost in the books, the league is starting to shape up in terms of which teams are genuine contenders, which teams might be headed for the playoffs, and which teams are looking toward the 2024 NFL Draft.
Along with teams starting to separate themselves from the pack and others heading toward a disappointing finish to the 2023 campaign, the players who are the strongest candidates for individual awards are starting to emerge.
One of the most intriguing races for an individual award thus far is NFL Defensive Player of the Year, with three strong candidates thus far after seven weeks of games.
According to FOX Sports: NFL, those three players are Micah Parsons of the Dallas Cowboys, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, and Pittsburgh Steelers star T.J. Watt.
It’s a tight race at the moment for DPOY 🏆
Who do you think will win? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/b6FBvXGfeu
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 23, 2023
Of these defensive superstars, Watt is the only one of the three who has won NFL Defensive Player of the Year before, as he received that honor in 2021.
As for Parsons, the Cowboys superstar linebacker won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2021 to go along with two All-Pro selections over the last two years.
Despite racking up 82.0 sacks during his career with the Browns thus far, Garrett has yet to receive an award for his presence on the defensive side of the football but is a four-time All-Pro.
It’ll be interesting to see how things pan out in this three-man race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, as all three of these players could be playoff-bound and potentially in the running for a Super Bowl run as well.
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