The NFL’s annual Defensive Player of the Year award has been dominated by household names over the past seven or so years. Aaron Donald won it three times in four years. Since the 2021 season, the discussion has been dominated by T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa, with honorable mention going to Micah Parsons.
Philadelphia Eagles rising star Jalen Carter could be entering that conversation for the foreseeable future, starting in 2024.
NFL insider Dan Graziano offered up his favorite for DPOY on Wednesday, unsurprisingly naming Watt as the frontrunner entering Week 16. He’s managed to stay healthy for all 14 games this season, producing 11.5 sacks and six forced fumbles. His Pittsburgh Steelers entering the week with a surprising 10-4 record certainly won’t hurt his cause.
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Graziano also mentioned his favorite sleeper for the award — and that was Carter, who once again commanded a ton of attention from the opposition in Philly’s 27-13 win over the Steelers Sunday at the Linc.
With the Eagles surging to the top of NFL power rankings at 12-2 on the season, could Carter earn enough votes to seriously challenge Watt for this year’s award? Here was Graziano’s take:
My favorite sleeper whose name is starting to come up among the top defensive players in the league is the Eagles’ Jalen Carter. It’s probably too soon for him to win it this season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a fixture in these discussions in future seasons, maybe as early as next year.
Added ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “Carter is a great call. He gets constant double-teams and fights through holding plays that aren’t called. The Eagles have dozens of examples of that. When you get underofficiated, that means you’re a disruptor in the middle. And the Eagles have another sleeper contender in linebacker Zack Baun, who has 3.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and nine tackles for loss.”
Carter has the ability to be the best player on the field, if he decides to turn it on. Baun certainly deserves mention as well. He’s had an unbelievable season with 134 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in just 14 games. This award tends to go to either elite EDGE defenders or interior D-linemen. The last linebacker to win it was Luke Kuechly in 2013, so Baun should be considered a super sleeper in 2024.
As Graziano noted, it’s still probably a year or two early for Carter, who’s only 23 years old. But his stats this season — 48 total pressures, five sacks, 11 QB hits, 27 tackles — are impressive coming from a true defensive tackle.
Donald was once the singular player opposing teams had to prepare for each and every week, and Carter could be entering that territory if he can stay on his current trajectory entering Year 3 as a pro.
