It was expected that Micah Parsons would be the front-runner for Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 after placing second in the voting in each of his first two seasons. DaRon Bland has the potential to overtake his Dallas Cowboys teammate as the general favorite if he were to record one or two more pick-sixes during the next five games.
However, as of this writing, defensive end Myles Garrett of the Browns has that title.
According to the most recent DPOY odds, Parsons is closing the gap on Garrett. With a great campaign finale, Parsons would have no trouble winning the trophy. He would also need Garrett to lose some of his intensity in the last minutes of the game
An injury seemingly is the only thing capable of slowing down Garrett and the four-time Pro Bowler hasn’t practiced this week because of a shoulder injury suffered in Week 12.
Although Garrett has said that he will play despite the injury, it makes sense that it will limit his usefulness going forward.
Garrett claimed to have heard a pop in his injured shoulder during Sunday’s loss to the Broncos and was pictured with a sling over it. After the game, team reporters noticed that Garrett had trouble putting on a shirt, most likely due to the extreme pain in his shoulder.
According to popular belief, Garrett is the best pass rusher in the NFL. The fact that Garrett is tied for second in both sacks (13) and pass rush victory percentage (28%), this season has really driven home that point. In addition, he has 29 defensive stops, 49 pressures, 23 quarterback hits, and four caused fumbles.
Although Parsons may surpass Browns standout Garrett in the race for Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett is still a deserving favorite.
Although statistics don’t mean anything, they do have a significant impact on voting, and Parsons leads Garrett in a number of important categories. These include pressures (71), which is 22 more than Garrett’s 49 in the NFL, pass rush victory rate (33%) double team rate (33% to 31%), and tackles for loss. Additionally, Parsons has almost twice as many hurries (47 to 27) as Garrett has.
All season long, Garrett has been the clear favorite to win, but Parsons has closed the distance recently. As of Week 13, Parsons’s odds to win DPOY are +175, which is just shy of Garrett’s +160 odds.
With more standout performances similar to his near-sack that sealed Thursday’s victory over the Seahawks, Parsons will surpass Garrett.
Of course, a lot depends on Parsons’ performance in the final stretch. However, if he can continue to turn up standout games and memorable moments like the one he had on Thursday to seal the team’s victory over the Seahawks, the two-time All-Pro will be well-positioned to win his first Defensive Player of the Year honor.
