Kevin Stefanski gave Myles Garrett the strongest endorsement for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and he's right
The NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award is shaping up to be a three-man race judging by the betting odds. At BetMGM, Micah Parsons is the favorite at +100, with Myles Garrett close behind at +165 and T.J. Watt further back at +400. No other player has odds shorter than 30-1.
The one thing Parsons, Garrett and Watt have in common is their ability to get to the quarterback, though there’s more to being a great defender than rushing the passer. If it was just about sacks, Watt’s league-leading 16 would have him as the favorite. Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski thinks Garrett is the best man for the award because of all the other things he does.
In fact, Stefanski said the race isn’t close Monday in one of the strongest endorsements you’ll hear.
the way @Flash_Garrett is playing right now? DPOY worthy pic.twitter.com/MT8XSk94T2
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 18, 2023
I’m not going to pretend to be the best evaluator of defensive players. All three of these candidates are obviously great and have great stats, but trying to differentiate between their greatness takes a bit of film study I don’t have time for. However, when Stefanski says Garrett is the best player on the best defense, he makes a solid point. It’s more than just words of support for his own guy.
Cleveland’s defense leads the league in fewest yards allowed per game this season, giving up 26 fewer yards than the next-closest team. And that’s despite its offense leading the league in turnovers, which likely factors into a lower points allowed per game ranking. So, while Garrett’s counting stats aren’t quite equal to Parsons and Watt, there’s something to be said about his anchoring a great unit.
| Micah Parsons | Myles Garrett | T.J. Watt | |
| Tackles (TFL) | 46 (14) | 36 (14) | 55 (16) |
| Sacks | 12.5 | 13 | 16 |
| QB Hits | 27 | 26 | 29 |
| FF/FR | 1/1 | 4/1 | 3/3 |
| Int | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TD | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| PD | 2 | 3 | 7 |
The Browns are No. 1 against the pass, No. 1 in first downs allowed, No. 2 in yards per play and, according to rbsdm, they lead the league in expected points added per play. They also have higher QB hurry and pressure rates than the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers despite blitzing less. They rely on Garrett for a lot of that pressure, and as a result, he’s double-teamed more than any other player at 33 percent, according to ESPN Analytics.
Despite that double-team rate, Garrett has the second-best pass rush win rate behind only Parsons.
The race is closer than Stefanski will have you believe — Parsons’ double-team rate is really high too — but if Cleveland’s defense remains ahead of Dallas’ to finish the season, the coach might be right about Garrett being most deserving.