If you look at the NFL DPOY by year list, you’ll notice something immediately. It’s basically a VIP club for guys who make quarterbacks’ lives miserable. For decades, the Associated Press has handed this trophy to the most terrifying person on the field, and usually, that person is a pass rusher. But honestly? The history of this award is way weirder than just a tally of sacks and forced fumbles. It’s a story of shifting eras, occasionally questionable voting, and rare moments where a defensive back manages to steal the spotlight from the monsters in the trenches.
The Early Eras: From Alan Page to Lawrence Taylor
When the award kicked off in 1971, it didn't take long for it to find its identity. Alan Page won the inaugural trophy as a Defensive Tackle for the Vikings. He didn't just win DPOY; he won the league MVP too. That's a feat so rare only Lawrence Taylor has repeated it since.
The 70s were dominated by the "Steel Curtain" in Pittsburgh. You’ve got Joe Greene winning it twice (1972, 1974), Mel Blount locking things down in 1975, and Jack Lambert hitting people into next week in 1976. It felt like the award lived in Pennsylvania for a decade. Then came the 80s, and everything changed because of one man: Lawrence Taylor.
Taylor is the only player to ever win the award as a rookie (1981). Think about that. He walked onto a professional field and was immediately the best defender on the planet. He ended up with three trophies (1981, 1982, 1986), a record that stood alone for decades. He was the prototype. He’s the reason why, when people talk about the NFL DPOY by year, they’re usually looking for the next LT.
The Modern Monsters: J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald
For a long time, Taylor’s three awards seemed untouchable. Then came the 2010s. J.J. Watt didn't just play defensive end; he broke the game. He won in 2012, 2014, and 2015. In 2014, he was actually a unanimous choice, which is basically impossible in modern sports media. He was getting MVP votes while playing on a team that didn't even make the playoffs. That's how dominant he was.
Then, almost immediately after Watt’s peak, Aaron Donald happened.
Donald grabbed his three trophies in 2017, 2018, and 2020. While Watt was a 6'5" freak of nature, Donald was a relatively "undersized" defensive tackle who used leverage and hands faster than a middleweight boxer to wreck internal pockets. If you look at the NFL DPOY by year during this stretch, it’s basically just a Watt-Donald sandwich with a few outliers like Khalil Mack (2016) and Stephon Gilmore (2019) tossed in for variety.
Breaking the Sack Bias: The DB Outliers
Kinda sucks to be a cornerback or safety, doesn't it? You can have a perfect season, not give up a single touchdown, and still lose the award to a guy with 18 sacks.
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But it does happen. Stephon Gilmore won it in 2019 because he was essentially a "no-fly zone" by himself. Before him, you have to go back to Charles Woodson in 2009. Recently, Patrick Surtain II broke the trend again in 2024, proving that shut-down corner play still carries weight with the 50 AP voters if the metrics are dominant enough.
Here is a quick look at the most recent winners to see how the "sack era" is holding up:
- 2024: Patrick Surtain II (CB, Denver Broncos)
- 2023: Myles Garrett (DE, Cleveland Browns)
- 2022: Nick Bosa (DE, San Francisco 49ers)
- 2021: T.J. Watt (LB, Pittsburgh Steelers)
- 2020: Aaron Donald (DT, Los Angeles Rams)
The Snubs and the Controversies
Statistics are great, but they don't tell the whole story. Many fans still point to the 2023 race as a prime example of "voter fatigue." T.J. Watt led the league in almost every meaningful category—sacks, quarterback hits, pressures—yet Myles Garrett took the trophy. The argument for Garrett was based heavily on "advanced win rates" and double-team frequency. Basically, the voters decided that even though Watt had the better box score, Garrett was "scarier" to play against.
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Then you have the 1998 season. Reggie White won it at age 37. He was incredible, sure. But Kevin Greene had 15 sacks that year at age 36 and barely got a sniff. It feels like sometimes the award acts as a "Lifetime Achievement" prize for guys nearing the end of their Hall of Fame runs.
Why the Position Matters More Than You Think
If you want to win DPOY, you better be a Linebacker or a Defensive End.
Linebackers have won the award 17 times. Defensive ends are right behind them with 15. Defensive tackles have 10. If you’re a safety? You've only got 5 wins in over 50 years of the award's existence. Ed Reed (2004) and Troy Polamalu (2010) are the gold standards there, but they had to be absolutely everywhere on the field to get noticed.
The reality is that sacks are easy to see. Interceptions often depend on the quarterback making a mistake. A sack is a physical imposition of will. Voters love that.
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Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
If you’re tracking the NFL DPOY by year to predict future winners, look for these three things:
- The Age 26 Sweet Spot: Most winners are in their fourth or fifth season. They are physically peaked but have enough veteran savvy to manipulate offensive linemen.
- The 15-Sack Threshold: Unless you’re a generational cornerback like Surtain, you usually need at least 15 sacks to even be in the conversation.
- Team Success (Sorta): You don't need to be on a 14-win team, but you usually need to be on a defense that ranks in the top 10. Voters struggle to reward a "lone wolf" on a defense that gives up 30 points a game.
To truly understand defensive greatness, you have to look past the trophy. Some of the best individual seasons in NFL history—like Deacon Jones in the pre-award era or Derwin James in his prime—don't have a DPOY attached to them. Use the yearly list as a guide, but remember that the "best" player and the "DPOY" aren't always the same person.
Check the current season's pressure rates and "win percentages" on sites like PFF or Next Gen Stats early in the year. If a player is leading in those "hidden" metrics, the box score stats usually catch up by November, and that's when the DPOY narrative really starts to bake in.