In just a couple of weeks, every NFL team is going to be back on the field for training camp, and the 2026 NFL season will officially be here.
The hunt for one of the most coveted awards in the league -- Defensive Player of the Year -- will officially be on. Myles Garrett is the reigning DPOY after racking up an NFL-record 23 sacks for the Browns last season, and now he's playing for one of the top contenders in the entire league.
There will be plenty of contenders to take the belt from Garrett, but it's not going to be easy. We're going to do our best to sort out which players on the defensive side of the ball might be the prime candidates to win Defensive Player of the Year this season, whether they're coming off the edge or trying to defy the odds and win it at a different position.
An important note: Packers star pass rusher Micah Parsons was not included on this list due to questions over his injury recovery timeline. If he is able to be out there at the start of the season, Parsons would take one of the top 6 or 7 spots on this list.
NFL Power Rankings: Top 10 DPOY candidates for the 2026 season
10. Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
The idea of Maxx Crosby winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the 2026 season feels extremely far-fetched, and for a variety of reasons.
We've seen Myles Garrett win NFL DPOY on a bad team, so that's not out of the realm of possibility, but the Browns didn't necessarily have a bad overall defense. That might be the case for the Raiders, so it's difficult to justify picking a DPOY from a defense that doesn't play well as a unit, even if Crosby's contributions are substantial.
However, he's on this list because of that fact. If he can be the tide raising all boats in the harbor, Crosby is going to generate a ton of attention. It's also possible that he could get traded to a better team and get even better odds to win this award in 2026.
Regardless, Crosby is one of the best all-around players on the defensive side of the ball in the entire league. He has to be a candidate for the award, even if it feels like he's a longshot.
9. Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
Throwing the ball Quinyon Mitchell's direction is usually a fruitless endeavor. We can't go so far as to say it's a mistake to throw his direction, but it's a fool's errand.
Just last season, Mitchell allowed 44.3 percent of passes thrown into his coverage to be completed. That's absolutely ridiculous productivity in terms of shutting down your side of the field.
He finished 2nd in the league in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, then wound up as a 1st-team All-Pro selection during the 2025 season. The Vic Fangio defense is perfect for Mitchell's skill set, and even though teams aren't testing him a ton, the one thing preventing him from ranking a lot higher on this list is the fact that he has no interceptions in 32 NFL games.
That just feels wrong. Even with 29 total passes broken up, Mitchell's lack of takeaways (0 INTs, 0 FF) are the one thing preventing him from being a true "favorite" for this type of award.
8. Derek Stingley Jr., CB, Houston Texans
If Pat Surtain II is the unanimous selection for the top cornerback in the entire NFL right now, then Derek Stingley should be the unanimous CB2. And frankly, he's not far off of PS2 in terms of the dominance we have seen from him on his side of the field.
Unlike with Quinyon Mitchell, throwing Derek Stingley's direction is truly an unwise decision. He's been a 1st-team All-Pro each of the past two seasons and has a total of 14 interceptions, including picking off 5 passes in a season where he only played 11 games.
Over the last three years, Stingley has averaged a completion percentage allowed of just 46 percent. The QB rating when throwing into Stingley's coverage is 48.6. For context, the worst QB rating for an entire team over the last decade in the NFL is the New York Jets at 77.2.
Stingley's 51 passes broken up since he came into the league along with 15 interceptions should absolutely have him in the discussion as the best defensive player in football when all is said and done.
7. Nick Bosa, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers
Just like the MVP award typically goes to the quarterback position, the Defensive Player of the Year is generally an award that goes to pass rushers. That qualification is important, because it gives a bit of an unfair advantage to a player like Nick Bosa, who wouldn't otherwise be a top contender on this list compared to guys like Stingley or even Quinyon Mitchell.
But Bosa has a phenomenal history of productivity off the edge with an average of 13 sacks and 34 QB hits per 17 games played. The issue is that he's coming off an injury last season in which he only played 3 games, but was on pace for 11 sacks and 17 QB hits. He also had two forced fumbles in his three games played.
Bosa had 18.5 sacks back in the 2022 season when he was a 1st-team All-Pro, but we're getting more and more distance from that season every year. Because of his potential to rack up sacks, QB hits, and pressures, Bosa has to be considered on a list like this. But even with that in mind, his arrow might be pointing slightly down as we enter the season.
6. Jeffery Simmons, DL, Tennessee Titans
You have to think at least one interior defensive lineman is going to make a push for Defensive Player of the Year this coming season. There were two guys we considered, and one we feel really bad about leaving off.
Jeffery Simmons genuinely has a case to be made as the most dominat interior player in the entire NFL right now. The guy we left off the list was Denver Broncos All-Pro Zach Allen, who finished 2nd behind only Myles Garrett last season in total QB hits.
With that in mind, Simmons was also a 1st-team All-Pro this past season, and set a career-high with 11 sacks, 21 QB hits, and 17 tackles for loss. Simmons was dominant on the interior, and he's only going to get better with the arrival of head coach Robert Saleh, as well as some help around him in the form of John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, and 1st-round pick Keldric Faulk.
Simmons finished last season with the 3rd-best overall grade among IDL (per PFF), and had the #1 overall pass rush grade in the entire league.
5. Pat Surtain II, CB, Denver Broncos
There is only one word to describe Pat Surtain II at the cornerback position in today's NFL: Standard.
He's the technician everyone wants to model their game after. He is the standard at the cornerback position, even if Surtain doesn't have the same type of on-ball production of some of his peers in the league. The way teams approach Surtain is evidence enough of his pure dominance.
Surtain will get targeted, but teams try to flip the ball out to their receivers as quick as possible in order to catch Surtain in off coverage. He rarely -- if ever -- gets targeted downfield. And when he does, it usually doesn't end well for whoever is trying to attack him.
The average yards per target against Surtain are just 5.15 over the last two seasons combined. He's allowed 181 total yards after the catch in the last two years. He only had 1 interception last year (an incredible play against Green Bay), but his ball skills have been consistently on display enough in his career to know he's got DPOY stuff.
In fact, he's the 2024 winner of the award. He could win it again in 2026.
4. Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Denver Broncos
Over the past two seasons, Nik Bonitto has 27.5 total sacks 52 total quarterback hits, and 75 total pressures.
He's simply one of the most consistent and best pass rushers in the entire NFL right now, and he's developed into one of the most dynamic weapons on one of the best defenses in the NFL.
In each of the past two seasons, Bonitto has had stretches of play where he's been a genuine contender for Defensive Player of the Year, but then there have been a couple of stretches where he's "disappeared", for lack of a better term. With that in mind, his statistical production is even more staggering.
But to win DPOY, you can't have those stretches. For instance, he had 7 games last season without a sack, and still finished the year with 14 of them. And as often as Bonitto gets to the quarterback, he's got just 4 forced fumbles over the last two seasons combined.
If he can improve his sack frequency and pop the ball loose a few more times, he's going to be a clear top contender for Defensive Player of the Year in 2026.
3. Will Anderson Jr., Houston Texans
There are definitely going to be some huge expectations for Houston Texans star pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. in the 2026 season.
This is a guy who absolutely lives behind the line of scrimmage, and has since he came into the league back in 2023. Anderson has 30 career sacks in his three NFL seasons, 46 tackles for loss, and 64 quarterback hits.
He's got 97 career pressures and is one of the most well-rounded edge players in the NFL with the 4th-highest pass rush grade and 9th-highest run defense grade per PFF.
Anderson is going to turn 25 years old just before the start of the season in September, so he's not even hitting his prime years yet. He's still an ascending player, and as things continue to "slow down" for him, he's only going to become tougher for offensive lines to handle on a per-snap basis.
Especially in DeMeco Ryans's defense, and with Danielle Hunter causing problems off the other edge, Anderson could be in line for DPOY-level production in 2026.
2. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Detroit Lions
What did we learn about Aidan Hutchinson in the 2025 season? In the best way possible, he's a freak of nature. Hutchinson was coming off of a very scary leg injury in the 2024 season where he broke his tibia in Week 6 against the Cowboys.
There were even videos coming out last offseason of Hutchinson moving around that made it feel like the 2025 season could be in jeopardy for him. It was looking somewhat bleak, at least from the outside looking in, and then Hutchinson managed to lead the entire NFL among edge rushers in snaps played (1,005).
Not only that, but he was among the league's best in terms of pass rush win rate and overall productivity in the pass rush department. He had 14.5 sacks in 17 games, 35 quarterback hits (most of his career), and 49 pressures.
Considering the fact that he did that while working his way back from injury, you have to think he's one of the front-runners to win DPOY this coming season.
1. Myles Garrett, DE, Los Angeles Rams
There is nobody on this list whose body of work speaks louder than Myles Garrett.
Garrett is coming off of the most legendary season for a pass rusher in NFL history, racking up 23 sacks and 33 tackles for loss along with a league-leading 39 QB hits.
Now, he's going to a team where he might be consistently playing with a lead. And that's an elite pass-rusher's dream. Garrett has spent his entire career in the NFL with the Browns, up to this point. Now that he's joining a true Super Bowl contender with the Los Angeles Rams, it feels like he's poised to absolutely dominate.
Garrett is truly a rare breed of superstar coming off the edge in today's NFL, or any era of the NFL. He averages 16 sacks per 17 games played and 30 QB hits. He is so well-rounded with his ability to play with speed, speed to power, and a variety of moves to defeat double teams.
He's a physical and athletic marvel who is just getting better and better as time goes on.