The Detroit Lions defense took a step in 2017. They weren’t great and they didn’t even finish in the top half of the league, but they did one thing the 2016 team failed to do: Make plays. After forcing just 14 turnovers (t-28th) in 2016, the Lions defenders combined to create 32 takeaways, the third most in the NFL.
Here are your nominees for 2017 Detroit Lions Defensive Player of the Year.
Stats: 16 games, 60 tackles, 8 INTs, 26 passes defended, 1 fumble recovery
Darius Slay set out in 2017 to get his hands on more passes, and he couldn’t have succeeded more in that goal.