The NFL finally handed out the preordained Defensive Player of the Year Award on Thursday night, crowning the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett. His first comes at the expense of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ T.J. Watt receiving his second, the two earning the most votes.
Garrett received four more first-place votes and 25 more points in total in the second year of this voting format. Previously, voters only selected one winner rather than ranking their top three choices. Watt received 42 votes overall, meaning that three voters did not rank him in their top three.
The Watt versus Garrett debate has raged for years, but rose to another level in 2023.