Dawgs By Nature
Will Garrett repeat for a second year, or is there another player who is the favorite?
On Thursday, the NFL announced the Top 5 finalists for AP Defensive Player of the Year. The finalists include LB Zack Baun of the Philadelphia Eagles, DE Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, DE Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals, CB Pat Surtain II of the Denver Broncos, and LB T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Last year, Garrett was crowned the Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career, finally beating out Watt — a decision that caused a stir among Browns and Steelers fans, as Watt practically scoffed at the notion that Garrett earned the crown over him.
Recently, Garrett was named an AP First-Team All Pro, along with Hendrickson, as they both received more votes than Watt. That could make Garrett a slight favorite for repeating a second year in a row. Even though Watt is listed as a linebacker above, he was listed as a defensive end for the All Pro consideration. Since Garrett finished ahead of both of them, it seems like he would have the edge for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
That’s where the attention then shifts to Baun and Surtain, who both received high recognition for their dominant efforts this season. According to BetMGM, Surtain is the favorite to take home the award.
This year’s NFL Honors show will take place on Thursday, February 6 on FOX and will be hosted by Snoop Dogg.
