At the NFL Honors show on Saturday night, Aaron Donald was announced as the winner of AP Defensive Player of the Year, the third time he’s won the award. He didn’t lead the NFL in sacks, tackles for loss or quarterback hits, however.
T.J. Watt of the Steelers was the league-leader in those departments, and for that reason, some believe he should’ve won Defensive Player of the Year over Donald. Watt’s brother, J.J., swiftly came to his defense with a tweet supporting him as the better choice for the award.
Aaron Donald is an absolutely incredible player. I love watching him play & he’s headed to the Hall of Fame without question. This has nothing to do with AD personally.
This is me saying what my brother won’t.
TJ played 1 less game and STILL led the NFL in every major category. pic.twitter.com/m1vzrD88WU
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 7, 2021
Media members and fans alike also backed Watt, but Jalen Ramsey has no doubt about who should’ve won the award, and it’s the guy who’s double-teamed more than any player in the NFL: Aaron Donald.
Ramsey tweeted this in defense of Donald against the doubters who claim Watt and his league-high 15 sacks should’ve won, calling Donald the greatest.
Lol ikno people not really questioning if AD should have won DPOY 😂😂.. Yoo that’s insane. It’s some ELITE defensive players in this league for sure & if 99 wasn’t in the league, I would hear it, but he really the greatest. Keep on tho, y’all about to get y’all Oline hurt fr 🤣
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) February 7, 2021
The fact that Donald had 13.5 sacks (second-most in the league) and an NFL-high 98 total pressures, per Pro Football Focus, as a defensive tackle should not be overlooked. Offensive linemen doubled him on more than 70% of his pass-rush reps, yet he still got to the quarterback often.
😂😂🤣🤣 nah this really every game too.. it be like 2-4 people tryna block AD all the time! https://t.co/lsuX62MKyF
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) February 7, 2021
Donald and Watt were both deserving, and there would’ve been arguments made for and against either player no matter the results. But 27 media members voted for Donald and 20 voted for Watt. So it’s not as if it was a landslide, either.
It was a tight race between two dominant defenders.