The NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award is given out annually by the Associated Press to recognize the most outstanding defensive player. The award was first given out in 1971 to Alan Page of the Minnesota Vikings. In 2014 J.J. Watt, brother to Steelers’ Derek and T.J. Watt, is the only player to ever receive a unanimous vote and win the DPOY award. J.J. went on to win this award two other times in the first five years of his career.
The first Steelers player to win DPOY was none other than legendary Hall of Fame defensive tackle Mean Joe Greene.