It feels weird to give out an award for the 2020 Detroit Lions defense considering they gave up more points and yards than any other NFL team. And even though we’re talking about a team effort there, unfortunately, there weren’t many individual performances to provide a beacon of hope going into 2021—except for maybe one or two players.
So here are your nominees for Detroit Lions Defensive Player of the Year:
Romeo Okwara
Stats: 44 tackles, 10.0 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 1 pass defended
If we’re being completely honest with ourselves, this should be a runaway vote for Okwara, and this isn’t just a case of everyone else on the defensive unit struggling—although that was certainly the case.