By: Reese Nasser

Aaron Donald has been a force of nature since he entered the NFL in 2014 when the Rams selected him with the 13th overall pick. In his rookie season, he put the NFL on notice. He recorded 18 tackles for loss and nine sacks on his way to becoming the Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Since his explosive rookie season, Donald has not slowed down. He has become one of the greatest players to ever step on a football field. He has missed just two games throughout the entirety of his career and has steadily been the most dominant force in almost every game he has appeared in. 

In his 110 career games, he has filled the stat sheet, even while often dealing with two or three blockers. Donald has spent his career making his way to the backfield, tallying up 131 tackles for loss, 201 quarterback hits, and 88 sacks. 

To go along with his dominance on the field, Donald has the accolades to match. He is a seven-time pro bowler, a six-time all-pro, and a three-time defensive player of the year. He is coming off of a 2020 season where he received his third DPOY award. Donald finished last season with 13.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, and 28 quarterback hits. 

But awards such as defensive player of the year aren’t won off of just a resume alone. They are won by performing each season at the highest level. So can Aaron Donald win the award for the fourth time in 2021? Yes, and here’s why. 

Age

At just 30-years old, Donald still has quality years in front of him. He has also shown no signs of slowing down. In his past three seasons, Donald has 46.5 sacks and 59 QB hits. He has also still get to the backfield with ease. 

As previously noted, he has played in every Rams game besides two during his time in the NFL. His ability to play at the highest level, even when injured, is something that Donald has become known for. After suffering torn rib cartilage in the Rams wildcard game against the Seattle Seahawks, Donald was ready to go one week later as he played in the divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers. 

High Motor

Donald is a proven menace to opposing offensive lines. The disruption that he is able to cause, plus the constant high level that he plays at causes teams to scheme directly around him. Even the league’s best blockers struggle to contain Donald. 

Donald’s ability to consistently become the focus of opposing offenses is something that the NFL can’t ignore. He is able to do things that other players cannot. Heading into the 2021 season, this should be no different. Donald will have every reason to be a force again and nobody has been able to stop him yet. That won’t change now. If all goes to plan, Donald could very well bring home his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award. 

The post Why Aaron Donald could win DPOY again appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Will Baptist

Trey Hendrickson will shoulder a lot of responsibilities after signing a 4 year $60 million contract with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason. He will be the most talented pass rusher on the roster, and the Bengals need his presence to be felt immediately. After tying Aaron Donald for second in the NFL in sacks with 13.5 last season, he has become a force for opposing tackles to deal with.

Hendrickson has shown drastic improvement over the past two seasons and has blossomed into a dominant edge rusher. He has slowly started to take the field more often on early downs as he continues to develop as a run stopper. He played 53% of the Saints defensive snaps last year and if that number continues to grow, he can put up gaudy sack numbers. If he can successfully build on his breakout 2020 season, Hendrickson has a legitimate chance to compete for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

He will have his fair share of competition with Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey and so on. Aaron Donald won the award last year while also racking up 13.5 sacks, and has clearly been the best defensive player in the NFL over the last few seasons. Donald played 85% of the Rams snaps, while Watt played 83% of the Steelers snaps last season and finished with 15 sacks.

Watt, Donald and Hendrickson all racked up similar sack numbers, but Hendrickson played about 300 fewer snaps than both of them. That amount of production in only 53% of the snaps is extraordinary and will push him to develop the rest of his game in order to stay on the field more. If he can play up to at least 70% of the Bengals defensive snaps this year, he could potentially hit 20 sacks on the season.

There have only been 12 instances where a player has racked up 20 or more sacks in a season since sacks have become an official stat. With the additional game this season, it could become slightly more common, but it still will be extremely rare. Hendrickson would be in an elite company if he could get to 20 sacks but it is not out of the realm of possibility.

He has to play close to 800 snaps and remain healthy, but he also needs the players around him to be dominant at their position. If he is constantly getting double-teamed due to his teammates struggling, then it will be tough for him to win the award.

Talent surrounding him

Hendrickson had a terrific defense around him with the Saints, and Cam Jordan on the opposite side of the line to wreak havoc. Jordan drew most of the attention throughout the year and finished with 7.5 sacks, but Hendrickson has now made a name for himself. For Hendrickson to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, he needs a lot of talent around him such as he did last year.

One dominant defensive lineman can only do so much, but luckily for Hendrickson, the Bengals defense is much improved heading into the season. The line should take a massive leap forward with the return of D.J. Reader clogging up the middle and stopping the run. Sam Hubbard will be the other starting edge rusher and he just inked a new contract and is poised for a stellar season.

Hubbard had a somewhat disappointing 2020 season with only two sacks, but he excelled at stopping the run. He can work his way back to being a great pass rusher like he was in 2019 when he racked up 8.5 sacks in his second season in the NFL.

The secondary will be much better with the additions of Mike Hilton and Chidobe Awuzie, along with Trae Waynes returning from injury. Hendrickson can tally up coverage sacks as he did with the Saints if the secondary can play up to their potential in Cincinnati.

The Saints were an excellent team last year and finished the regular season at 12-4. Opposing teams were often losing and forced to throw the ball considering how good the Saints offense was. This helped Hendrickson with the ability to constantly rush the passer due to the Saints leading in most of their games.

The Bengals will need similar offensive production to get early leads and give Hendrickson the opportunity to get after the quarterback. If the Bengals do not improve much from their 4-11-1 record, the opposing teams will be run-heavy, and this will not play to Hendrickson’s strengths. With Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon healthy, the offense should not have an issue jumping out to early leads. Which should also lead to winning a lot more games for the Bengals.

Hendrickson will have his work cut out for him in the stacked AFC North and the firepower on the offensive side of the ball in that division. Chasing around Lamar Jackson will be a daunting task, but he showed how great he can be last year, and this franchise clearly believes in his talents and ability to grow.

The Bengals will need to be much better in order for Hendrickson to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. All the stars are aligning for the Bengals, and Hendrickson has the best chance of any player on the team to secure the award. His knack for getting after the quarterback and his extremely high motor are traits that translate to any franchise and system.

The 26-year old can prove that he can be one of the best defensive players in the NFL, and make the Bengals fans forget about losing Carl Lawson in free agency. If he can accomplish winning this award, or even be in the discussion for it, then the Bengals hit the lottery with this signing. He has all of the tools to win the award, it is simply a matter of remaining healthy and growing as an all-around defensive end to stay on the field more often.

The post Why Trey Hendrickson is a serious Dark Horse DPOY candidate appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Michael Welsh

The Cleveland Browns are heading into the 2021 season with one of the best rosters in the NFL. Pretty crazy thing to say, right? GM Andrew Berry had a lot of holes to fill on the defensive side of the ball this off-season and he did an incredible job filling them. A lot of the moves he made will only set up star Myles Garrett for even more success.

Myles has been one of the best defensive players in the league since being drafted first overall in 2017, racking up 42.5 sacks and 42 tackles for a loss. At this point, it isn’t IF Myles will take home the Defensive Player of the Year award, it’s WHEN. Let’s take a look at why the 2021 season might be the one where he takes home the hardware.

The additions to the secondary

It is no secret that Cleveland’s secondary in 2020 was lackluster. Andrew Berry made that his top priority to improve in the 2021 off-season, and he was aggressive right out of the gate. He signed Safety John Johnson and Cornerback Troy Hill, immediately making the defense better. In addition to that, Safety Grant Delpit and Cornerback Greedy Williams are returning from injury. Oh, and don’t forget about Pro-Bowler Denzel Ward. Add all of that up and it means one thing; better coverage equals quarterbacks holding onto the ball longer. Myles Garrett could very well add more sacks because of that.

The signing of Jadeveon Clowney

For the past few years, Myles had Olivier Veron opposite of him on the defensive line. Vernon played well in his time with the Browns, but Garrett still has always needed someone else on the line that commands the defensive coordinator’s attention. The Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney this off-season, finally giving Myles someone that can take pressure off him and allow the double teams to subside. Clowney is 5th in the NFL in double team rate Myles is 3rd, so basically…. pick your poison. Having Clowney will only allow for Garrett to get to the quarterback even more.

The offense’s ability to put up points

The Browns had several games in 2020 where they scored more than 30 points, and with every offensive starter returning this fall, it is safe to assume that they will have no problem putting up points. This means that teams will be playing from behind, thus giving Myles Garrett even more chances to get sacks since the bulk of plays will be passing.

He’s an absolute unit

This one will be short and sweet. Myles is a specimen that, at times, looks as if he isn’t from this world. The scary part is that he is in his prime and will only get stronger and bigger. It is next to impossible for him to be blocked one on one and breaking twenty sacks is very likely to happen at some point in his career.

The post 4 reasons Why Myles Garrett Will Win DPOY in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Zac Alfers

For the second consecutive season, T.J. Watt was robbed of the Defensive Player of the Year award he rightfully deserves. Last year the NFL Honors voting committee snubbed the Steelers’ edge rusher for New England Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore. This year, the 2020 NFL DPOY was awarded to Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald. Personally, I don’t buy it. 

Donald beat Watt by a slim 27-to-20 margin, so at least the voting was close. The process though seemed to be skewed in Donald’s favor and reminds me of a UFC title fight. AD represents the reigning champ and Watt the aspiring challenger. The champ often retains the belt if they aren’t knocked out or submitted. Even if the challenger has an amazing fight and would have won in non-title fight circumstances, the judges rule in favor of the person who’s been there before. You can make the argument that for Watt to win he would have to knock out Donald. Who let’s face it, is one of the best defensive players in the game since he entered the league in 2014. However, I believe T.J. absolutely did enough this season to dethrone the Rams superstar. 

PRECEDENT FAVORS WATT 

Watt was just as good in run support as Donald and finished with more pass-rushing stats. T.J. led the entire NFL last year in sacks, TFL’s, and QB pressures and if that sounds impressive to you, that’s because it is. This feat has only been accomplished three other times in the last 15 years. Houston Texans DE J.J. Watt, T.J.’s older brother, did it twice in 2012 and 2015 while Aaron Donald achieved the same in 2018. To no one’s surprise, all three feats were honored with the DPOY award. Why was T.J. Watt not given the same respect from the voting committee?

WATT PLAYS FOR A BETTER TEAM

T.J. Watt’s play was absolutely tremendous this year and most of the voting committee members would contest to that fact. I’ve identified two reasons the committee gave the award to AD. My problem is both are completely out of Watt’s control. The biggest argument I’ve seen being made in favor of AD is that the Rams defense is an overall inferior unit to the Steeler’s defense. This leads to Aaron Donald being double-teamed more often than T.J. Watt. I understand the point, but I don’t think Watt should be punished for being on a better team. In my opinion, that’s another reason in support of Watt. Even with better players around him, T.J. continued to shine. He was the best player on an elite defense and still was able to separate himself from the rest of the pack. When you consider who else is on Pittsburg’s defense, (Minkah Fitzpatrick, Bud Dupree, Stephon Tuitt) it really shows how remarkable Watt’s play actually was. He outplayed Donald statistically and helped the Steelers to a better overall team record. The latter part of which, I don’t think has been talked about enough. 

THE TWO PLAY DIFFERENT POSITIONS

I think a more reasonable point in support of Aaron Donald is that AD plays interior defensive line while T.J. Watt is an edge rusher/outside linebacker. There isn’t a better player at his position, and no one can disrupt a game like Donald can from the inside. If the award was for best interior D-lineman, AD would be the obvious choice, but we are talking about the best defensive player period, regardless of position. Watt led the league in all of the areas that are most relevant for players who are asked to get after the quarterback. T.J. also showed he can make an impact in coverage as well. The Steelers LB was the only player to tally at least 10 sacks while also recording an interception and at least five passes defended. 

CONCLUSION

T.J. deserved to be this year’s DPOY. Not only did he capture the pass-rush triple crown, (leading the league in sacks, TFL’s, and QB pressures) he did so in just 15 games played. I honestly don’t know what he will have to do to change the minds of the NFL Honors voting committee next year but, I do know he’s not taking this robbery lightly.

The post Why T.J. Watt Deserved DPOY appeared first on Pro Football Mania.