Defense wins NFL championships. That’s a tale as old as time. Football fans have heard those words thousands of times whether it’s from their friends discussing the week’s matchups, bettors trying to figure out who is winning it all, or analysts on the TV trying to make picks on Sunday morning. Despite the fact that defense does in fact win championships, the offense is what gets headlines. Every commercial on Sunday seemingly has either Baker Mayfield or Patrick Mahomes on it. Fantasy leagues almost always have singular offensive stars while putting defenses in there as a team.
Looking back at history, there have been some stars who played as one of the 11 greats on the other side of the field. Their job was to make the game less exciting. Their purpose was to keep points off the board unless they were taking an interception the other way.
Which defensive players had the best NFL seasons of all time?
When looking at awards, defenders are not well represented. Two defensive players have won the MVP in the history of the NFL. There have been some amazing talents that came and went who might have deserved the MVP. In the Super Bowl, they are a little better represented. 10 players on the defensive side won MVP honors in the best single game in sports.
That’s why the Defensive Player of the Year award exists. It’s to celebrate the greats on the other side of the ball. There is always a debate about who should win this award every year since there is such a big difference between someone playing defensive tackle and someone else playing cornerback. That’s how someone like Darrell Revis goes his entire career without winning the award. However, there are some great seasons that deserve recognition. These are the best defensive seasons in the history of the NFL that were recognized with a Defensive Player of the Year award.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 30. 2019 Stephon Gilmore
Stephon Gilmore was absolutely sensational in the 2019 season. The Patriots‘ defense was on another level for most of the season, and Gilmore was clearly the best cornerback in the game. The Patriots had a pretty easy schedule to start the season, and they made opposing quarterbacks look absolutely silly against them.
Many will attribute Gilmore’s inflated stats to his opponents, but don’t get it twisted. He was really good against just about everyone. He had six interceptions that season including two that went the other way for touchdowns. He was helping Tom Brady in his last season in New England score a few extra points. What was more impressive was his 20 pass deflections. Quarterbacks for some reason kept targeting Gilmore despite his ridiculous coverage techniques.
Gilmore had the instincts we haven’t seen since the heyday of cornerbacks from a decade ago. He knows when to jump in front of a receiver, and he doesn’t mind getting physical with players at the line of scrimmage. His speed helped him make up room between the ball and the receiver’s hands if he does make the wrong move on the ball.
It was a controversial choice, as most defensive backs are on the list, but Gilmore was great this season. It was nice to get a year off from giving Aaron Donald the award, and the Patriots used their defense to win. It wasn’t the typical championship team that we’re used to in New England, but Gilmore’s performance deserves recognition.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 29. 2013 Luke Kuechly
Luke Kuechly’s career seemed to come and go in a flash, but his surprise retirement makes us look back at his dominance. In 2013, Kuechly was coming off a very impressive rookie season. The Carolina Panthers knew they had a star on their hands, but his sophomore season was his very best.
This was a wide-open field of candidates in 2013, but Kuechly absolutely deserved the honor. Coming off a Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012, getting the top prize for defenders the next year was quite the honor.
Kuechley combined for 156 tackles that season. Those stats don’t tell the story of Kuechley’s impact on the gridiron. He was all over the place. He had 24 tackles in a game against the New Orleans Saints. He was incredibly consistent, winning the Defensive Player of the Week award three times over the season. Every week, the Panthers knew the middle of the defense was covered.
Kuechley’s play was a huge reason the Panthers were able to end their streak of missing the playoffs. They missed the postseason from 2009 to 2012, so it was nice to see a young player leading them back to when games mattered most. Kuechley became only the second player to follow up his Rookie of the Year award with a Defensive Player of the Year award. Lawrence Taylor is the other.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 28. 2008 James Harrison
James Harrison had one of the most interesting careers in the recent history of the NFL. He had an old-school feel to him because he definitely tried to knock people’s heads off and that generally is looked down upon in today’s NFL. He also famously spent a ridiculous amount of money to keep his body in peak performance shape. Harrison was also famous for fighting the league tooth and nail on just about anything.
In 2008, Harrison went from an undrafted free agent to the best defensive player in the league. He put up 16 sacks and forced a league-leading seven fumbles. His huge hits were still being celebrated, and that led to a dominant Pittsburgh defense that had us thinking of the days of Three Rivers Stadium.
Harrison finished the season beating out the Cowboys’ Demarcus Ware for the award. That’s because of the stellar defense the Steelers had as a whole. Harrison led a defense that was tops in total defense and points allowed. Nobody could even move against this defense, and Harrison was the engine that helped it run so smoothly.
During the 2008 season, the Steelers didn’t allow a 300-yard passer or a 100-yard rusher. The fear Harrison was putting in quarterbacks had them hesitant to throw the ball, and running backs did everything in their power to run away from Harrison’s side. If that doesn’t tell you the story of a great defensive player, then we don’t know what will.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 27. 1985 Mike Singletary
Mike Singletary was one of the leaders of the 1985 Chicago Bears. It’s considered one of the greatest defensive units in the history of the game. That has to get some representation on this list, but Singletary loses just a little bit of luster because it could have been multiple players on that defense who could win. Leslie Frazier led the team with six interceptions. William Perry brought his “refrigerator” size to the middle of the defensive line. Richard Dent forced seven fumbles that season. But this defense went through Mike Singletary.
Singletary never had those eye-popping numbers. He only had three sacks this season, but the tape tells the story. He was downright scary on a football field. When he was a head coach, we saw the intensity that had other teams scared in their cleats.
Singletary was key in Buddy Ryan’s 46 defense that helped dominate the league. Singletary continued to help this team dominate all the way through the Super Bowl where they destroyed the New England Patriots 45-10.
This was the one really great season from this defense, but Singletary’s legend would never be the same. He was a star for his performance. This might have been an award that came thanks to a team, but that Bears 1985 defense is not the same without Singletary.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 26. 1975 Mel Blount
Mel Blount put together one of the great seasons from the secondary ever. His eye-popping interception results stand out. He led the league with 11 interceptions, as quarterbacks were not as laser accurate as they are today. (Well, at least some of them.) He was part of The Steel Curtain defense that was just impossible to make any headway against.
Blount was the best ever when it comes to the “bump and run” style of play. He would not be denied at the line of scrimmage. This put him in a desirable position to succeed on almost every passing down. He knocked a receiver off their route, and the quarterbacks of the 70s weren’t seeing the field in a way that could help them call an audible mid-play.
Blount never stopped working, and it showed on the field in 1975. He had the assets. Blount was extremely quick and had long arms in order to stop his opponent, but it was his relentless motor that helped him become a star. Never giving up on the play led to a lot of sway with voters, and that got him the Defensive Player of the Year award.
This was a performance for the ages, and his numbers backed up the dominance he showed on the field. Teams weren’t even passing that much, but Blount’s impact on the opposing passing game really shut down half of the field.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 25. 1989 Keith Millard
Keith Millard was a man in the wrong era. He looked like a throwback to the Purple People Eaters from the late 60s and early 70s Vikings teams. Unfortunately for him, he was born 15 years too late, and now he had to be dominant on a late 80s Minnesota Vikings team.
Millard was getting better and better every season before really hitting his peak in 1989. His stats were obviously impressive this season. He put up 18 sacks including four in one game against the rival Green Bay Packers. He even added an interception with a 48-yard return and a fumble recovery for touchdown. Millard did just about everything on the defensive line.
The Vikings as a whole allowed the least amount of yards total in the league. Teams had trouble moving the ball, and Millard made them think twice at every turn.
Millard’s career after this was unfortunate, which is why he isn’t named with some of the best of all time. He suffered a major knee injury in 1990, and it caused him to miss all of the 1991 season. That really changed everything. He never looked like the same guy. It was an unfortunate end, but going back to the 1989 season, it was one of the more dominant seasons from the line.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 24. 2005 Brian Urlacher
Brian Urlacher doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for just how good he was during the early and mid-2000s. The Bears as a whole weren’t the championship-caliber squads of the early years in the NFL, but Urlacher was someone who led a defense with a quiet swagger that is hard to find today. He didn’t speak a lot, but his hits left marks that lasted for days.
In 2005, it wasn’t even his best statistical season. He did get 122 total tackles, it was one of his few years without an interception, he only had six sacks, but he led a defense that was tops in the NFL. He also had 17 tackles for loss, which showed he was getting in the backfield with ease. Despite getting 122 tackles, 98 of those total tackles were solo.
Urlacher arguably had a better season in 2006, but he lost out on back-to-back awards to the Miami Dolphins’ Jason Taylor. Still, his 2005 season was great. His ability to be just about everywhere on the field forced coaches to change their game plan.
The big turnaround in 2005 helped Urlacher secure the award. The Bears only won four games in 2004, but that season the Bears jumped to an 11-win team. Being able to cover the field from sideline to sideline made Urlacher special. He is a Hall of Famer, and deservedly so.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 23. 2006 Jason Taylor
Jason Taylor, Champ Bailey, and Brian Urlacher had three of the great seasons on the defensive side of the ball in 2006. They weren’t the normal defensive players getting all the headlines (although Urlacher won the award the year before). What makes Taylor’s win even more impressive is he did it on the 6-10 Miami Dolphins.
That shows that Taylor was doing it almost all by himself. Taylor was lining up all over the front seven as the Dolphins needed him. The Dolphins need someone on the edge? Put Taylor at linebacker. Do they need someone to put their hand in the dirt? Let’s try Taylor at defensive tackle. Of course, he made his money playing defensive end.
The big reason he won the award this season was his ability to make plays. He had two interceptions, and he took them both for touchdown. He hurried the quarterback 14 times and sacked the quarterback 13.5 times.
Despite the Dolphins record, the team ranked in the top five in total defense. Bill Belichick even said that Taylor “ruins a lot of games offensively for teams.” That says a lot when the best coach of this generation notices that the game is changing due to one defensive player.
Taylor’s career as a whole is now underrated. He was a real game breaker at his peak, and he lasted a long time at his position. Going back to look at some of his sacks is impressive. He really did impact a game from all over the field.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 22. 1998 Reggie White
Reggie White is considered one of the best of all time for a reason. It’s likely he was the best defensive end to ever put on the pads. He changed the league more than probably any player when he forced the implementation of free agency. It took him to the Green Bay Packers where he continued his dominant career.
In 1998, White won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. He finished the season with 16 sacks and four forced fumbles. White was taking out quarterbacks with ease. At 37 years old, some might think this was a legacy award, but White was actually quite great this season.
White was contemplating retirement after the 1997 NFL season, but good thing he came back. It was clear he wanted to end things on a good note. (There was one other season with the Carolina Panthers we choose to forget.) The storyline surrounding White was immense, and he took up the challenge.
White was one of those players that offenses literally feared going up against. He could destroy offenses by himself. It was a sad day when we lost Reggie White, because we really wanted to show him the love he deserved when he made it to Canton. We had this one last great look at him when he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 1998.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 21. 1999 Warren Sapp
Warren Sapp was just a massive presence. Larger than life comes to mind when describing what he meant to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the middle of that defense. The Buccaneers were still known as a laughing stock before the 1999 season, but Sapp’s dominance helped them win their first division title ever.
As a defensive tackle, he recorded 12.5 sacks and made 54 tackles. Defensive tackles are usually just plugging up the middle of the line so other players can make plays. Sapp could plug up the line AND make the plays at the same time. He also added two fumbles recovered and four fumbles forced despite missing a game.
The Bucs as a whole had an insane amount of success on defense this year. They allowed the least amount of yards in the league, and the passing stats against were even more impressive. Sapp was the reason these stats looked this way. The fear he put into opposing defenses put hesitation into every play call. Hesitation leads to mistakes, and that leads to wins for the opposition.
Sapp was a presence that just loomed large on every play. It helped that he took more than one player to stop him on each play, and that still didn’t work. His impact on opposing offenses was truly more than any player in the league, and that’s why he won the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 20. 2001 Michael Strahan
Here comes the controversy. Michael Strahan is still the owner of the most sacks in a single season. Thank Brett Favre for that. Still, the 2001 season Michael Strahan put together was dominant. Nobody can deny that. Breaking a record like the sack record, then watching it hold as the all-time record for a 16-game season for all of time is impressive.
Maybe this is actually underrating Strahan’s season, but having him kick off the top 20 felt right. It’s unfortunate that Brett Favre is always going to be named in conjunction with Strahan’s sack record.
Enough credit isn’t given to Strahan for even being in the situation to take his free sack. He actually didn’t get a sack in the first two games of the season as the schedule was turned on its head after the September 11th attacks. This was especially true in New York, the city that Strahan’s Giants represented.
He was dominant after Week 2, putting up three sacks in Week 3 to make up for lost time. He sacked Kurt Warner four times, Donovan McNabb 5.5 times (in two games), and Jake Plummer twice. After Week 2, he only had one week where he didn’t have a sack. Strahan was destroying offensive tackles, and he got to the quarterback legitimately 21.5 times. If the last one was too easy, we should let it go and accept the greatness that was this season.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 19. 1981 Lawrence Taylor
For the first time, we see Lawrence Taylor on this list. This isn’t the last time you will see Lawrence Taylor on this list. He is the best defensive player in the history of this league, and his three Defensive Player of the Year awards prove his dominance in the league. In 1981, Taylor was a hyped-up rookie out of North Carolina. The Giants took him with the second-overall pick, so they had high hopes for the linebacker.
He immediately made an impact on the league. He finished the 1991 season with 9.5 sacks, which in hindsight seems very low for a player of Taylor’s caliber. The voters noticed the impact he was already having on the NFL.
Taylor became the only rookie ever to win Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year. His arrival helped the Giants almost cut their points allowed in half. The Giants were a pushover in 1980. They were a team that was circled on the calendar in 1981.
Usually, the “best rookie seasons of all time” come from offensive players. Quarterbacks have a bigger impact on the game, and running backs are basically in their prime the second they leave college. However, Taylor might have had the biggest impact in a rookie season of anyone ever.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 18. 2002 Derrick Brooks
Derrick Brooks was a scary individual in the middle of that dominant Buccaneers defense in 2002. Not only was he a monster hitting that really could put running backs on their butts, he was also a ball hawk. Once the ball was in his hands, he was going the other way. He scored more touchdowns than Edgerrin James, Tim Brown, and Troy Brown this season. His four touchdowns are second all time for defensive touchdowns in a season.
Brooks had five total interceptions in 2002, and he took three back to the house. He also deflected 11 passes and tackled seven players for a loss. These stats might seem like they are coming all over the place, but that is because that is how Derrick Brooks played the game. He was so good that he was a jack of all trades and a master of all of them.
He kept his playmaking skills going into the postseason. Brooks deflected at least one pass in each of the Bucs three playoff games, and he scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Oakland Raiders. Nobody really came close to beating Tampa in the playoffs because their defense was not allowing an inch.
Brooks was someone who could win a game all by himself on the defensive side. Whether it was making the crucial tackle to stop a player from making a first down or it was intercepting the ball in the red zone to stop a drive in its tracks, Brooks knew his assignment better than anyone on the field.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 17. 1994 Deion Sanders
Primetime was one of the greats to ever play on the outside. His antics might have been tiresome, but his play on the field was second to none. He put up six interceptions and returned three of them for touchdowns. This was when he was with the San Francisco 49ers.
Sanders had a 90-yard touchdown return on an interception against the San Diego Chargers. He had a 74-yard interception return for touchdown against the New Orleans Saints, and he added a 93 yarder against the Atlanta Falcons. Those are three insane returns all in one season.
This was Sanders’ only season with the 49ers, and boy was it a doozy. He won Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the Pro Bowl, was an All Pro corner, and won the Super Bowl. This was an All-Star Team in the Bay Area, and Sanders was standing out among all of them.
It can be debated whether this was even Sanders’ best season or not. That 1996 season with the Cowboys was less statistically appealing, but he was dominant at the position. Scoring three touchdowns north of 70 yards is always going to get the attention of the voters.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 16. 1980 Lester Hayes
It’s hard to explain just how dominant Lester Hayes was for the Raiders back in the early 80s. This Defensive Player of the Year award was so well deserved because it was one of the most dominant seasons we’ve seen from a defensive player.
Hayes had 18 interceptions that season between the regular season and the playoffs. He had another four interceptions wiped out by penalties. Quarterbacks should not have thrown towards Hayes anymore, but they kept testing him. He had 13 interceptions in the regular season, and the Raiders defense led them to a Super Bowl championship.
Hayes played linebacker in college, but he was converted to cornerback, and it was the best decision made for his career. His mix of size and speed was perfect for this era of defensive football. While other players tend to take the conservative approach to playing defense, Hayes was always looking for the big play. The difference between usual ball hawks and Lester Hayes was he was always making that big play.
Hayes never hit the peaks he hit this season, but his pure numbers are probably impossible to match. Nobody will match what he did from the cornerback position again.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 15. 2016 Khalil Mack
Khalil Mack is still playing in this league at a high level, and he’s still one of the best pass rushers in the league, but his run from 2015 to 2018 was beyond silly. While playing for the Oakland Raiders, Mack was dominating folks all over the field. At the line of scrimmage, he could not be stopped in 2016. He could deflect passes, and he even brought back an interception for touchdown.
Where he really made his due was getting into the backfield. He had 11 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, both getting in the top ten in the league. He was getting everyone from running backs to quarterbacks to fullbacks to wide receivers on a reverse when they were behind the line of scrimmage.
The vote this season was razor thin. There were so many good defensive players, including Landon Collins, Von Miller, and Aaron Donald, but Mack stood out just beyond them in what was an amazing defensive season.
Mack would go on to have great seasons in 2018 and his 2020 was pretty great as well. However, his stretch from the middle of October to the end of the season in 2016 was unlike anything we’ve seen in a while. His 26 quarterback hits showed he was someone to be feared even if it didn’t end up on the stat sheet. He was dominant on a bad Raiders defense, which probably got him some points from the voters.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 14. 2009 Charles Woodson
Most people remember Charles Woodson from his time with the Raiders, but his 2009 season with the Green Bay Packers was so incredibly impressive it cannot be ignored. He won the Defensive Player of the Year after recording nine interceptions and taking three back all the way to the endzone. His playmaking ability was beyond what others could claim. This one comes with a little controversy because of the season Darrelle Revis had, but Woodson won the award by a 14 vote margin.
Most analysts were worried when the Packers moved Woodson from a mostly press corner to someone who was focusing on the Packers’ zone scheme, but they doubted the talent of one of the best in the world at what he does.
What really made this season special is what Woodson was able to do without the other Packers top corner, Al Harris. He was knocked out of the season with a knee injury, but the defense did not miss a beat. Add that to a defense switching to 3-4, and Woodson was an anchor that is usually what we see from the middle linebacker position. It’s rare to see a cornerback be able to wear so many hats in a defensive scheme. He was truly special this season.
His stats in the secondary speak for themselves, but he was also a great blitzing corner and he knew when to go after the ball. He had four forced fumbles on top of his nine interceptions, and he even added two sacks.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 13. 2007 Bob Sanders
If Bob Sanders was never injured, he would be named with the same love as Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. He was everything we wanted from the safety position. He could find the ball in the air with ease leading to interceptions. He could make a wide receiver pay for not keeping his head up across the middle. His tackling ability was stupendous, and he made sure it was apparent early and often.
2007 was the only season in which Bob Sanders played at least 15 games. It was also the season he won Defensive Player of the Year. He is batting 1.000 when it comes to healthy seasons and winning the top defensive player award.
The Colts allowed the fewest points in the league in 2007 as Sanders was playing all over the field. He had two interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 97 total tackles, and he did it despite using his 5’8 frame to knock people out. He was someone who proved size did not matter in the NFL.
Sanders is the ultimate “what if” player. More than players like Robert Griffin III or Percy Harvin, Sanders had greatness coursing through his veins. In 2007, we bore witness to what that greatness could become if he could just stay healthy.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 12. 1974 “Mean” Joe Greene
We head back in our time machine to take on one of the most famous players in the history of the sport. That Coca-Cola commercial is something that has lived on for generations, and it made “Mean” Joe Greene one of the first football players to transcend the gridiron. Before he was the “guy from the commercial,” Greene was the “guy destroying opposing offenses”.
1974 was the second of his two Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Joe Greene earned his nickname during that time. This wasn’t that ticky-tack move that gets under a player’s skin. Greene would spit in your face and dare you to retaliate. If you did, it was a mistake.
There weren’t a ton of defensive stats kept back in the 1970s, but we know that Greene recorded his only career interception in 1974, and he also recovered four fumbles. He also added nine sacks to his resumé, showing he was an equal opportunity butt-kicker. Everyone on the field was just in the way of “Mean” Joe Greene, and he was going to get you out of the way.
The Steelers ended up winning the Super Bowl that season largely on the backs of the team’s defense. They only allowed six points to the Minnesota Vikings in the Big Game, and that was directly because of Greene. On the Vikings’ best scoring opportunity during the third quarter, Greene intercepted the ball at the line of scrimmage, ending the drive as Vikings fans looked on shocked. That was the kind of impact Greene had on every single game.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 11. 2010 Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu was always a personality, but we learned about his personality because of his ability on the football field. Polamalu was a class of safety we may never see again. That position does not have the impact on today’s game as it did back in the early to mid-2000s, but there really isn’t a player like Troy Polamalu on the field.
Polamalu and the Steelers’ defense helped lift his team to 12 wins despite dealing with an injured Ben Roethlisberger and a mediocre offense. His ability to leap over the offensive line the second the ball is snapped showed he had something over every other player on the field. His timing was impeccable. Just look what he did to Kerry Collins in the second week of the 2010 season.
Polamalu was at his best in the big games. He was always someone who felt the biggest when the spotlight was brightest. Against the Cincinnati Bengals when both teams were fighting for playoff position, Polamalu had two interceptions on Carson Palmer and returned one for a touchdown.
Some might think this is high for a season like this, but Polamalu was so dominant in the games he played, he won the award despite missing some games. Polamalu was really the quarterback of the defense in that when he was out the Steelers had a much less chance of winning. He had more of an impact on that defense than any other player in the league on that side of the ball.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 10. 2014 J.J. Watt
J.J. Watt was the best defensive player in the league for at minimum five years, but he arguably was the very best for all of his healthy seasons. Watt was unlike anything we witnessed then and since. Aaron Donald is great, but Watt was just slightly more special when he was his dominant self.
We start the top 10 with someone who finished the season as the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. That’s right, in a world of dissenting opinions, every single person who voted agreed that J.J. Watt was the best defensive player in 2014. And this was a season where someone had 22 sacks!
Watt was second to Justin Houston in sacks with 20.5, but it was the rest of his game that made him worlds better than all of his opponents. On top of putting the quarterback into the turf, he deflected 10 passes, forced four fumbles, and he even added an interception. He even played a little offense and added three touchdown receptions. You know, because he can.
He was at his best when the games mattered most. Watt added nine sacks in the month of December. He was also the first player ever to be a first-team All-Pro defensive end and a second-team All-Pro defensive tackle. The Texans moved him around the line, and this season is one for the record books.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 9. 1993 Rod Woodson
We are starting to split hairs with some of the greatest seasons in the history of the league. It’s painful to move this season near the bottom of the top ten because it truly is one of the best seasons ever by a player in the secondary. Rod Woodson was absolutely insane in 1993. He did everything that season. Of course, he recorded eight interceptions, which was typical of him. He also deflected 28 passes, forced two fumbles, and even recorded a couple of sacks.
He had three multi-interception games. That including the opening game of the season against Steve Young and the San Francisco 49ers. Woodson was built for a different game, but he was someone who adapted to the NFL of the mid-90s beautifully. His physicality mixed with his athleticism is something the NFL was not ready for. That’s how he won Defensive Player of the Year for the 1993 season.
He also led the Steelers in tackles in the 1993 season. That’s right, a cornerback was leading the team in tackles. Usually, that means he allowed a lot of catches, but not Woodson. This just means he picked up his teammates by making their tackles for them.
Woodson was one of the most underrated defensive players in the history of the league, and arguably this season could be higher on this list, but he always deserves recognition for what he did with the Steelers. It was one of the most wonderful things watching him dominate the league and completely shut down opposing wide receivers as he did.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 8. 2018 Aaron Donald
Eventually, we were going to get to the best defensive player in the game today. The Los Angeles Rams Aaron Donald is head and shoulders above the rest of the league. His impact on the defense is better than anyone else by a long shot. How else do we have to say he’s the best?
Donald is the current holder of the Defensive Player of the Year award, but we have to give him this honor for his best season in 2018. He is legitimately named in MVP discussions, something that a defensive player hasn’t seen in more than three decades.
This was his second-straight Defensive Player of the Year award, and this past season made three. He’s one of three players to get three of these awards, and he could become the only player to ever get four any year now. However, the 2018 version of Aaron Donald was on another level. He had 20.5 sacks, showing his dominance from the defensive tackle position.
Donald is impossible to block. Full stop. Offensive linemen cannot stop him from getting to the quarterback. He is one of the best defensive linemen ever already, and he’s only 30 years old. He still has a lot left in the tank.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 7. 2004 Ed Reed
As you have seen earlier on this list, to make it this high as a safety, you have to be special. Like, really special. To make it in the top ten? This has to be one of the best seasons of all time. That was Ed Reed in 2004. It helps that he broke some records that season (his 106-yard interception return for touchdown was the longest in history until he broke it himself in 2008. He also had the most yards returned after an interception in the history of the NFL).
Reed’s 2004 season broke the mold for guys like Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders. It was 20 years before this that a safety won the Defensive Player of the Year award. It took a special season to break that mold. His nine interceptions led the league, but he wasn’t just a ball hawk. He had 64 solo tackles, two sacks, and even recovered two fumbles.
Reed was always around the ball. He was especially around the ball when the team seriously needed a big play. In the final game of the season, he intercepted a pass from the Dolphins Sage Rosenfels and brought it to the two-yard line. Jamal Lewis ran the ball in the very next play. That ended up being the difference in the win, ending their season on a high note.
Reed was always a threat and made this defense great. Well, him and one other guy.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 6. 2003 Ray Lewis
Ray Lewis was the best defensive player in the league for a long time. His legacy started in the year 2000. He was good before that, but he became an absolute legend this year (legal issues notwithstanding). His Ravens team was the most dominant defense since the 1985 Bears. It came through his broad shoulders. He won the Defensive Player of the Year in 2000, but it was his 2003 that was his best season ever.
The stats jump off the page for a middle linebacker. He only had 1.5 sacks, but he wasn’t asked to rush the passer very much. His speed and athleticism made him too much of an asset to stop the pass another way. And boy, did he do that. He finished the season with six interceptions, including one for touchdown, and 12 passes deflected. Lewis was a monster in the middle, and that is on top of his other middle linebacking duties.
The Ravens had done a complete overhaul of the defense since the 2000 season championship, but Lewis was the constant that made it one of the best units in the league. In 2003, Lewis put in a crazy amount of work to have his best season yet. He got injured in 2002, which put an extra fire under his behind. A fire underneath Ray Lewis is a scary thing.
He proved that in 2003. This solidified Lewis as an all-time great. His 2003 season will go down in history for his ability to play the middle of the field like someone half his size while also destroying any running back who thought going up the middle was a good idea.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 5. 2012 J.J. Watt
People will debate J.J. Watt’s best seasons forever, but 2012 was the top of his career. Say what you want, this was his most dominant season on the defensive line. Do you want the stats? Here ya go:
20.5 sacks
69 solo tackles
4 forced fumbles
2 fumbles recovered
16 pass breakups
That last number really stands out. J.J. Watt, a defensive lineman, had more deflections than Ed Reed and Ronde Barber, both safeties. Only eight players in the entire league had more. Nobody in the league had as many sacks as Watt. To call Watt dominant is a disservice for how good he was this season. This was truly one of the greatest achievements on the football field this century.
He had a great start and great finish to the season despite playing some of the all-time greats. He had Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, and Joe Flacco (in the year he won the Super Bowl) on his schedule. The only ones he didn’t sack were Flacco and Brady. He knocked Manning to the dirt twice, ended up on top of Luck three times, took down Stafford three times in an overtime win, and knocked down Rodgers twice.
Watt didn’t care how good a player was or the offensive line trying to stop him, he was going to take over the game.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 4. 1990 Bruce Smith
The top five of this list is rarified air. We learned that with the last entry. Trying to find four seasons better than Watt’s 2012 is hard, but these are the four best defensive seasons ever. Let’s start with Bruce Smith, someone who took over offensive lines on a weekly basis. He put up 19 sacks for a Bills team with true championship aspirations.
On three of Smith’s first four sacks of the season, he forced a fumble. That includes completely destroying John Elway off his blindside and getting his team the ball back. None of his sacks were what they call “coverage sacks”. He never needed more than three seconds to be in the backfield and on top of the quarterback. Heck, sometimes the offensive lineman barely got a hand on him he was in the backfield so fast.
Smith is one of the best defensive linemen ever. His speed might be second to literally nobody to play the position. There are great players on the defensive line in the history of football, but did anyone get in the backfield as quickly as Smith?
The answer is no. And his strength added another layer to his game. He didn’t need to wrap up a quarterback to sack him. If he got a hand on you, you were not staying upright. This season is etched into the history books as the catalyst for how to sack the quarterback on a consistent basis.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 3. 1971 Alan Page
In 1971, the NFL decided to add a new award for defensive players. The MVP award as we know was introduced in 1957, and no defensive player had ever won it. How ironic was it that the year the Defensive Player of the Year award was introduced would be the same year that a player on the defensive side of the equation would also win MVP?
That’s exactly what Alan Page did. Page was a dominant member of the Purple People Eaters defensive line. The Minnesota Vikings were trying to show some championship chops, and they were doing it on defense. However, Page stood out over the rest of that really talented unit.
1971 was the third straight year his advanced statistics ranked him as the best player in the league. There weren’t a ton of traditional stats kept in the early 70s, but we know he forced two safeties in the same season. That never happens. He also unofficially had nine sacks from the defensive tackle position.
Page was someone who’s been lost in history, but he absolutely should be in the conversation for best defensive player of all time.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 2. 1987 Reggie White
Reggie White showed up on this list earlier as a member of the Green Bay Packers. He was absolutely a force in his last great season, and the storyline is amazing, but nothing touches his 1987 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
1987 was a season shortened by a strike of the players. The NFL only played a 12-game schedule with the actual players. They straight up lost one game on the schedule then they staffed replacement players for three others. It didn’t matter. This season would still be historic.
It all started in Week 1. The Eagles were down seven as the Washington team was driving. White sacked Doug Williams, forced a fumble, picked up the ball, and ran it back 70 yards for a touchdown. After Week 2 is when the strike hit, so it really hampered his momentum. Only it actually didn’t at all. When the NFL started back up a month later, White had 2 1/2 sacks in his first game back.
White ended up sacking the quarterback 21 times in 12 games. That is insane consistency. He sacked the QB 1.75 times per game. White’s ability to beat offensive linemen in different ways made him impossible to block. This was the second-best season ever. It could even be in the conversation for the best ever if the strike didn’t ruin it for him.
Ranking the 30 best Defensive Player of the Year winning seasons: 1. 1986 Lawrence Taylor
It had to be LT. The best player in the history of football (I said what I said) also has the best defensive season in history. He became the second player to win the Defensive Player of the Year and MVP awards in the same season. It hasn’t happened since. There have been two defensive players and one kicker that won MVP, but we won’t get too far into that right now.
Taylor had 20.5 sacks this season from the linebacker position. This wasn’t a time when linebackers were just defensive ends with their hand off the ground, Taylor was someone who could go sideline to sideline if he needed, but he always found himself on top of a quarterback.
Taylor put more fear in opposing offenses than anyone in history. He could be at a dead stop waiting to see what the offense is doing, and once he puts on the jets he is getting where he needs to be. He knocks out quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers alike. Nobody was safe when LT was on the field, especially in 1986.
Taylor’s greatness was clear. He could not be stopped. And when teams would put two and three blockers on him, he’d go out in coverage so one of his teammates could get a sack. There was no season like it, and there will never be another Lawrence Taylor.