It took five years and two arguable snubbings but T.J. Watt won his first Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2021. If he can find a way to do it again, he’ll join an incredibly exclusive club of defensive players to win back-to-back DPOY Awards.
The list is as notable as it is short. Just three have done it: Lawrence Taylor in 1981 and 1982, big brother J.J. Watt in 2014 and 2015, and Aaron Donald in 2017 and 2018. That’s the list. Now, T.J. Watt will try to join them.
And he’s got a shot.