Aaron Donald is tied for the league lead with nine sacks, has the most pressures of any player (48) and already has 15 quarterback hits in just eight games. He’s been absolutely dominant once again for the Rams, but he’s still not the unanimous favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year.
USA TODAY’s columnists each voted for the NFL’s most important awards at the midway point and for Defensive Player of the Year, Donald only received two of seven votes. The others all voted for Myles Garrett, who’s tied with Donald for the league lead at nine sacks.
Donald was the only Rams player to receive a vote for any of the awards, which isn’t surprising. They don’t have a true MVP candidate outside of Donald, and no one on offense is putting up big enough numbers to be considered for Offensive Player of the Year.
Cooper Kupp could technically be a contender for Comeback Player of the Year, but now with Alex Smith starting for Washington, he probably has that wrapped up after his miraculous recovery from a gruesome leg injury. Smith received six of seven votes from USA TODAY’s panel.
There’s still a long way to go with eight games remaining for most teams, so Donald will have a chance to pull away from Garrett. But there’s no doubt they’re the top two candidates for that award.
