The AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is an annual award presented by the Associated Press (AP) to the defensive player in the National Football League (NFL) deemed to have had the most outstanding season. It has been awarded since 1971. The winner is decided by votes from a panel of 50 AP sportswriters. Since 2011, the award has been presented at the annual NFL Honors ceremony the day before the Super Bowl, along with other AP awards, such as the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, AP NFL Most Valuable Player award, and AP NFL Rookie of the Year award. The most recent winner is cornerback Patrick Surtain II of the Denver Broncos.
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II, 2024 recipient | |
| Awarded for | Defensive player of the year in the NFL |
|---|---|
| Presented by | Associated Press |
| History | |
| First award | 1971 |
| Most wins | Lawrence Taylor J. J. Watt Aaron Donald (3 each) |
| Most recent | Patrick Surtain II |
Lawrence Taylor, J. J. Watt, and Aaron Donald are the only three-time winners of the award. Joe Greene, Ray Lewis, Mike Singletary, Bruce Smith, and Reggie White have each won it twice. Taylor is the only player to win the award as a rookie, doing so in 1981. In 2008, James Harrison became the only undrafted free agent to win the award. White is the only player to win the award with two different teams, winning in 1987 with the Philadelphia Eagles and again with the Green Bay Packers in 1998. J. J. Watt is the only player to win the award unanimously, receiving 50 out of 50 first place votes in 2014. He was also a near-unanimous winner in 2012 as he earned 49 out of 50 votes.
As of the end of the 2024 NFL season, linebackers have won the award seventeen times, more than any other position. A defensive end has won fifteen times, followed by ten defensive tackles, seven cornerbacks, and five safeties. Only two winners of the AP Defensive Player of the Year award have also won the AP's Most Valuable Player award for the same season: defensive tackle Alan Page in 1971 for the Minnesota Vikings and linebacker Lawrence Taylor in 1986 for the New York Giants.
Winners
| Season | Player | Position | Team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1971 | Alan Page | DT | Minnesota | |
1972 | Joe Greene | DT | Pittsburgh | |
1973 | Dick Anderson | S | Miami | |
1974 | Joe Greene | DT | Pittsburgh | |
1975 | Mel Blount | CB | Pittsburgh | |
1976 | Jack Lambert | LB | Pittsburgh | |
1977 | Harvey Martin | DE | Dallas | |
1978 | Randy Gradishar | LB | Denver | |
1979 | Lee Roy Selmon | DE | Tampa Bay | |
1980 | Lester Hayes | CB | Oakland | |
1981 | Lawrence Taylor | LB | NY Giants | |
1982 | Lawrence Taylor | LB | NY Giants | |
1983 | Doug Betters | DE | Miami | |
1984 | Kenny Easley | S | Seattle | |
1985 | Mike Singletary | LB | Chicago | |
1986 | Lawrence Taylor | LB | NY Giants | |
1987 | Reggie White | DE | Philadelphia | |
1988 | Mike Singletary | LB | Chicago | |
1989 | Keith Millard | DT | Minnesota | |
1990 | Bruce Smith | DE | Buffalo | |
1991 | Pat Swilling | LB | New Orleans | |
1992 | Cortez Kennedy | DT | Seattle | |
1993 | Rod Woodson | CB | Pittsburgh | |
1994 | Deion Sanders | CB | San Francisco | |
1995 | Bryce Paup | LB | Buffalo | |
1996 | Bruce Smith | DE | Buffalo | |
1997 | Dana Stubblefield | DT | San Francisco | |
1998 | Reggie White | DE | Green Bay | |
1999 | Warren Sapp | DT | Tampa Bay | |
2000 | Ray Lewis | LB | Baltimore | |
2001 | Michael Strahan | DE | NY Giants | |
2002 | Derrick Brooks | LB | Tampa Bay | |
2003 | Ray Lewis | LB | Baltimore | |
2004 | Ed Reed | S | Baltimore | |
2005 | Brian Urlacher | LB | Chicago | |
2006 | Jason Taylor | DE | Miami | |
2007 | Bob Sanders | S | Indianapolis | |
2008 | James Harrison | LB | Pittsburgh | |
2009 | Charles Woodson | CB | Green Bay | |
2010 | Troy Polamalu | S | Pittsburgh | |
2011 | Terrell Suggs | LB | Baltimore | |
2012 | J. J. Watt | DE | Houston | |
2013 | Luke Kuechly | LB | Carolina | |
2014 | J. J. Watt | DE | Houston | |
2015 | J. J. Watt | DE | Houston | |
2016 | Khalil Mack | DE | Oakland | |
2017 | Aaron Donald | DT | LA Rams | |
2018 | Aaron Donald | DT | LA Rams | |
2019 | Stephon Gilmore | CB | New England | |
2020 | Aaron Donald | DT | LA Rams | |
2021 | T. J. Watt | LB | Pittsburgh | |
2022 | Nick Bosa | DE | San Francisco | |
2023 | Myles Garrett | DE | Cleveland | |
2024 | Patrick Surtain II | CB | Denver |
Multiple-time winners
| Player | Awards | Position | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Taylor | 3 | Linebacker | New York Giants | 1981, 1982, 1986 |
| J. J. Watt | Defensive end | Houston Texans | 2012, 2014, 2015 | |
| Aaron Donald | Defensive tackle | Los Angeles Rams | 2017, 2018, 2020 | |
| Joe Greene | 2 | Defensive tackle | Pittsburgh Steelers | 1972, 1974 |
| Mike Singletary | Linebacker | Chicago Bears | 1985, 1988 | |
| Bruce Smith | Defensive end | Buffalo Bills | 1990, 1996 | |
| Reggie White | Defensive end | Philadelphia Eagles Green Bay Packers | 1987, 1998 | |
| Ray Lewis | Linebacker | Baltimore Ravens | 2000, 2003 |
See also
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, What is AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year? What does AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year mean?