The reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Myles Garrett, had his sights set on making history, but a knee injury just dropped him out of the top spot for the 2026 award race. Garrett, who absolutely dominated in 2025 by winning the AP NFL DPOY unanimously with all 50 first-place votes and shattering the single-season sack record with 23 sacks, was looking to join an elite club. That was his second DPOY win, putting him in a chase behind legends like Lawrence Taylor, J.J. Watt, and Aaron Donald, who each nabbed the award three times. Watt and Donald did their damage with three wins in four years, and Garrett opened this year favored to pull off that same incredible feat. But now? That knee injury has sidelined him for at least the next four weeks, and his odds have plummeted to a staggering +5000. Talk about a gut punch to start the season!
The New Sheriff in Town and the Rising Stars
With Garrett sidelined, the DPOY race blew wide open, and Will Anderson Jr. is the new favorite, leading the charge from a Houston defense that was the best in the league last year. Through just three games in 2026, Anderson has been an absolute wrecking ball with 18 total tackles, 10 of them solo, four sacks, and six tackles for loss. This dude is legit, and he’s proving why that Houston defense is still elite.
But he’s not the only one making noise. Aidan Hutchinson is finding his way to opposing quarterbacks with alarming regularity. He’s got four sacks and seven QB hits through three weeks, plus three tackles for loss. You gotta respect that hustle, even if the Lions have given up 85 points this season, which is a bit rough for their defense as a whole. Then there’s Greg Rousseau, who’s just flat-out producing. He’s racked up 12 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks, and forced three fumbles so far. We all saw him go off in the Bills’ Week 3 win over the Chargers, snagging five solo tackles and two sacks in that 24-16 victory.
The Rollercoaster Odds and Hungry Vets
It’s been a wild ride for some of the veterans looking to add another DPOY to their resume. T.J. Watt, the 2021 DPOY, started hot, with two sacks, four tackles, three tackles for loss, and two QB hits in the Steelers’ win over the Falcons. He kept that momentum going in Week 2, adding 1.5 sacks, another tackle for loss, and two more QB hits. That killer start actually slashed his odds from +1100 down to +550! But then Week 3 hit with a somewhat quiet performance, just one assisted tackle, and his odds bounced right back to +1100. Talk about market volatility!
And then there’s Maxx Crosby, who had a tumultuous offseason, even thinking he was a Raven for a minute until he wasn’t. But none of that drama has slowed him down on the field. In the Raiders’ Week 1 win against Miami, he posted 1.5 sacks, three QB hits, and a tackle for loss. After just two weeks, Crosby was leading his Raiders’ defense, which ranked second in the NFL in pressure rate at 44.1%, and he was a massive part of their upset win over the Chargers. He added two tackles, one solo and one assisted, in their Week 3 win against New Orleans. This guy is playing with a chip on his shoulder, and it shows.
This DPOY race is absolutely stacked and completely up for grabs right now. With Garrett out, it’s a wide-open sprint to see who can maintain this early season fire. Every single sack, every tackle for loss, every QB hit from these guys over the next few weeks is going to matter big time. Who steps up and takes control? We’re about to find out!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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