Tag: DPoY

T.J. Watt finishes 4th in DPOY voting

T.J. Watt had his worst season since he was a rookie in 2024.

Thursday night the NFL Thhanded out their annual award at the NFL Honors. The only Pittsburgh Steelers who was in the running for any of the end-of-season awards was edge defender T.J. Watt. He was a finalist for Defensive Player of the Years but the odds were against him.

Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II won the award and rightfully so. Surtain was far and away the best cornerback in the NFL. Watt ended up finishing fourth behind Surtain, Bengals EDGE Trey Hendrickson and Browns EDGE Myles Garrett. Watt did get three first-place votes.

Here’s how the voting broke down for the top four.

Patrick Surtain II 26-11-2-4-1: 330
Trey Hendrickson 11-10-9-8-2: 205
Myles Garrett 5-11-12-8-5: 162
T.J. Watt 3-7-8-11-3: 114

Watt finished 2024 with 11.5 sacks. This was his worst season since his rookie year if you exclude 2022 where he missed six games with injury. Watt failed to put up any stats in the team’s final two games which was completely out of character for him and really hurt the final numbers.

The reality is Watt’s teammate, defensive tackle Cam Heyward was a far more deserving candidate after racking up eight sacks and 11 passes defended as a defensive tackle.

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Twitter reacts to Pat Surtain winning Defensive Player of the Year

Broncos CB Pat Surtain has been named the Defensive Player of the Year. Here’s how Twitter reacted to the news.

Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain was named the NFL’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year during NFL Honors on Thursday night.

Here’s a sampling of how fans and pundits reacted to the news on Twitter/X.

Surtain, 24, is the seventh cornerback in NFL history to win the award and the second Bronco to take home the honor, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar (1978).

Already considered the game’s best cornerback, Surtain is now recognized as the best defensive player in the NFL.

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Pat Surtain makes NFL history with Defensive Player of the Year award

Pat Surtain is just the seventh cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Year, and he’s the second Bronco, joining Randy Gradishar (1978).

Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain has been named the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced during NFL Honors on Thursday evening.

Surtain, 24, is just the seventh cornerback to ever win the award and the second Bronco in franchise history to take home the honor, joining Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar (1978).

The previous six cornerbacks to win the award were Stephon Gilmore (2019), Charles Woodson (2009), Deion Sanders (1994), Rod Woodson (1993), Lester Hayes (1980) and Mel Blount (1975). Of those defensive backs, only Gilmore (an active player) and Hayes are not in the Hall of Fame.

Surtain also earned a first-team All-Pro nod in 2024, becoming the third cornerback in club history to receive that honor multiple times, joining Louis Wright and Champ Bailey.

PS2 ranked first in passing yards allowed (306), yards allowed per coverage snap (0.6) and target rate (10.9) in 2024 among qualified cornerbacks (at 400 coverage snaps), according to NFL NextGen Stats.

Surtain totaled four interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 2024, marking his fourth-straight year with double-digit PBUs. His four takeaways tied a career-high, and his 100-yard pick-six last fall was a career-long.

Surtain is widely considered the best cornerback in the NFL, and this season, he was the best defensive player in the league.

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Pat Surtain can right the wrong of Champ Bailey’s 2006 DPOY snub

Eighteen years after Champ Bailey was snubbed for Defensive Player of the Year, Broncos CB Pat Surtain is the favorite to win the award.

Champ Bailey was an elite shutdown cornerback, with the best two-year stretch of his career coming with the Denver Broncos from 2005-2006.

Bailey led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2006, including a 70-yard pick-six. In addition to the 10 takeaways, Bailey also totaled 86 tackles, 21 pass breakups and one forced fumble that season.

Bailey was the NFL’s best cornerback, earning a first-team All-Pro nod and a Pro Bowl selection. He also should have won Defensive Player of the Year, but voters gave that honor to former Miami Dolphins pass rusher Jason Taylor instead.

Taylor totaled 13.5 sacks in 2006 (the same total as Nik Bonitto in 2024). He also forced nine fumbles and scored two defensive touchdowns. Taylor finished first in DPOY voting and Bailey ended up second.

Eighteen seasons later, current Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain could right the wrong of Bailey being snubbed in 2006.

Surtain is considered the favorite to win DPOY after totaling 11 pass breakups and four interceptions in 2024 while only allowing 306 passing yards, fewest among qualified cornerbacks this season.

Cincinnati Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks in 2024, but he did not post any takeaways or defensive touchdowns. Hendrickson is likely Surtain’s biggest competition for the award.

The DPOY award will be announced during NFL Honors tonight.

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Pat Surtain responds to Champ Bailey and reacts to possibility of DPOY award

Champ Bailey’s praise “means a lot” to Pat Surtain, who also said it would be “a huge honor” to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

Hall of Famer and former Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey recently said current cornerback Pat Surtain is “on a Hall of Fame path.”

Surtain responded to Bailey’s praise during an interview promoting Tide evo with Broncos Wire’s Brandon Walker last week.

“I mean, it means a lot, especially coming from a guy like him who’s done that in a high-level,” Surtain said. “When you get respect from your peers, that’s the highest honor you could get. It means a lot coming from him specifically.”

Surtain also had the chance to address the possibility of becoming only the seventh cornerback and second Bronco (the other being Randy Gradishar in 1978) in the history of the league to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.

“Shoot man, it’d mean a lot,” Surtain said of potentially winning DPOY. “Especially knowing that the margin is pretty slim for cornerbacks to win it, but yeah, it’d be a huge honor. It was something that I worked for. It was a big goal of mine to reach that at the end of the year so it’ll definitely be a huge honor to add to my accolade sheet.”

Surtain spoke to Broncos Wire while promoting Tide evo, a laundry detergent that leverages tens of thousands of minuscule fibers, creating layers of soap without unnecessary liquid and fillers.

Surtain isn’t the only Bronco who was nominated for season-long Associated Press awards following the 2024 season. Sean Payton was also nominated for Coach of the Year and quarterback Bo Nix was nominated for Offensive Rookie of the Year. The winners will be announced during “NFL Honors” on Thursday night.

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Does T.J. Watt deserve to be a Defensive Player of the Year finalist?

T.J. Watt had a solid 2024 season, but his late struggles raise questions about his finalist spot for Defensive Player of the Year.

While 2024 was a historic year for the newest Steeler in the 100-sack club, T.J. Watt, his performance to end the season raises questions about the legitimacy of his inclusion in the D.P.O.Y. race.

The NFL announced that Watt was one of five players in the running to win the 2024 D.P.O.Y. award, along with Philadelphia Eagles LB Zack Baun, Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II, Cincinnati Bengals DE Trey Hendrickson, and the reigning 2023 D.P.O.Y. award-winning DE Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.

One could argue that each of these finalists provided a case as to why they deserve the award in 2024—except for Watt.

Surtain was the best cornerback of 2024, Hendrickson led the NFL with 17.5 sacks, Garrett came in second with 14 sacks and led the league with 22 TFLs, and Baun became the first linebacker to record over 150 tackles and 5 or more forced fumbles in a single season.

Watt, on the other hand, failed to record an assist, a tackle, or a sack in the final 127 snaps of the 2024 season.

Watt is still one of the greatest defenders the NFL currently has to offer, but it is no secret that 2024 was far from his year.

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Steelers defender named finalist for Defensive Player of the Year

T.J. Watt had one of his worst years as a pro with only 11.5 sacks.

On Thursday, the NFL announced finalists for all of the major end-of-the-year awards. The Pittsburgh Steelers were shut out of all the awards except for Defensive Player of the Year where outside linebacker T.J. Watt hangs on to an outside chance.

Here is the full list of finalists per the NFL:

CB Patrick Surtain II – Denver Broncos

EDGE Trey Hendrickson – Cincinnati Bengals

EDGE Myles Garrett – Cleveland Browns

EDGE T.J. Watt – Pittsburgh Steelers

LB Zach Baun – Philadelphia Eagles

Five very talented football players who meant very different things to their respective teams. While we appreciate Watt making the cut for the finalists, it would be a massive upset if he actually won the award this year. Watt’s season has been a series of ups and downs in line with the rest of the Steelers defense. Watt finished the season with 11.5 sacks, his worst total since he was a rookie if you didn’t account for 2022 when he missed must of the year win injury.

 

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Pat Surtain is an easy choice for Defensive Player of the Year

“t’s an easy case to make,” Sean Payton said of Pat Surtain’s DPOY candidacy. “He’s deserving of that type of award. He’s that good.”

Denver Broncos star cornerback Pat Surtain is considered the betting favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, potentially putting him on the verge of NFL history.

Only five cornerbacks have ever won DPOY, and Surtain has a strong case to join them.

“It’s always difficult because there are so many great candidates,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last Friday. “Number One, I was a voter for these awards once. Somebody reached out — I don’t know if you had to be — I don’t know how it worked, but the year I was out [of coaching] and I spent a lot of time… When it’s close, it’s a little shinier for the team that’s winning.

“When you look at the receivers he’s defended and the impact he’s had for us, and how we’ve played defensively and all those other things, it’s an easy case to make. Sometimes it’s a more difficult case to make, but certainly he’s deserving of that type of award. He’s that good.”

Surtain, 24, ranks first in yards allowed (306) and just about every other major coverage stat among qualified cornerbacks this season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.

It would be a big upset if Surtain does not win the award this season. DPOY will be announced during “NFL Honors” before the Super Bowl in February.

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NFL’s sack leaders (including Nik Bonitto) going into Week 17

Nik Bonitto is two sacks behind the NFL leader with two games left.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto fell behind in the NFL’s season-long sack race when he totaled zero sacks in a 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football last week.

Going into Week 16, Bonitto (11.5 sacks) was just one sack shy of the NFL’s leader (Trey Hendrickson had 12.5). Bonitto than went sackless on Thursday and Hendrickson recorded another sack on Sunday, improving his total to 13.5.

Bonitto is now tied for fourth both in the NFL and in the AFC, trailing Hendrickson, Danielle Hunter (12.0) and Myles Garrett (12.0), tied with T.J. Watt (11.5). Bonitto has two weeks remaining to attempt to jump to No. 1.

NFL sack leaders going into Week 17

  1. Trey Hendrickson: 13.5
  2. Danielle Hunter: 12.0
  3. Myles Garrett: 12.0
  4. T.J. Watt: 11.5
  5. Nik Bonitto: 11.5
  6. Andrew Van Ginkel: 11.0
  7. Jonathan Greenard: 11.0
  8. Kyle Van Noy: 10.5
  9. Will Anderson: 10.5
  10. Will McDonald: 10.0

Meanwhile, fellow Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper is tied for 17th in the NFL with eight sacks. Cooper is a half-sack away from tying his career high and two sacks away from the first double-digit sack season of his career.

Bonitto and Hendrickson will go head-to-head when the Bengals host the Broncos on Saturday afternoon.

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Nik Bonitto snubbed for weekly award despite matching J.J. Watt’s impressive stat

Nik Bonitto is the NFL’s first player since J.J. Watt (2014) with double-digit sacks and multiple TDs in a season. Watt won DPOY in 2014.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto was not named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week following his impressive performance against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

The NFL instead gave that honor to Houston Texans cornerback Derek Stingley after he totaled five tackles, two interceptions and two pass breakups in Week 15.

Bonitto was snubbed after recording five tackles (including one behind the line of scrimmage), one quarterback hit, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, a half-sack and a 50-yard fumble-six.

Bonitto now has 11.5 sacks on the season, tied for third overall and just one sack away from Trey Hendrickson’s league-leading 12.5 sacks.

Before his fumble-six against the Colts, Bonitto had a 71-yard pick-six against the Cleveland Browns in Denver’s previous game, making him the first player in NFL history to post 50-plus-yard defensive touchdowns in consecutive games.

Bonitto is also the first player to record double-digit sacks and multiple touchdowns since J.J. Watt accomplished that feat in 2014. Watt ended that season with 20.5 sacks and he was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Bonitto would probably need to lead the league in sacks to have a shot of winning DPOY this season. The 25-year-old pass rusher has three games remaining to build on his career-high 11.5 sacks in 2024.

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