The 2019 NFL season is almost drawing to a close which means that it will soon be time for players to be recognized with the annual NFL honors.
The Arizona Cardinals will look to have one of their players receive one of those honors when the award for NFL Defensive Player of the Year is given out. That player is none other than Arizona Cardinals All-Pro linebacker Chandler Jones.
Jones has been a force in the league since the New England Patriots was drafted him with the No. 21 pick from of Syracuse University in 2012. Jones spent the first four seasons with the Patriots before being traded to the Cardinals in 2016 where he would go on to manage double-digit sacks each season with the Cardinals and would become a force on the Cardinals’ front seven.
Chandler Jones currently leads the league in sacks with 19.0 and has a great chance to break Michael Strahan’s single-season of 22.0. Let’s take a deeper look into why Jones should easily be the NFL’s Defensive of the Year.
The Resume
Chandler Jones has been a force to be reckoned with this year but has not received the national recognition that he has deserved.
As stated earlier, Jones leads the NFL in sacks with 19.0. That total is almost three sacks more than the next defender which is Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquill Barrett who sits at 16.5 sacks on the year. Jones has a realistic shot to obtain the single-season sack record of 22.5 if he gets four sacks in a game against the Los Angeles Rams in the season finale. Jones has reached the four-sack mark twice this year in games against the New York Giants in Week 7 and their Week 16 meeting against the Seattle Seahawks. The star edge-rusher only ended up with 0.5 sacks in their previous Week 12 matchup against Los Angeles but still got to Rams quarterback Jared Goff twice overall.
Chandler Jones also leads the league in forced fumbles with eight. This means that he causes a fumble on almost every two sacks. His combination of finesse and bone-crushing hits have been pivotal in winning the turnover battle.
The Competition
While Chandler Jones deserves the recognition, it will be met with swift resistance.
One player that has a claim to the award is the aforementioned Shaquill Barrett of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Barrett has set the league on fire after amassing 16.5 sacks this season. That total represents a huge increase from last season’s total of only three sacks while he was a member of the Denver Broncos. Barrett also has an interception and six forced fumbles, filling out a well-rounded resume this season.
Another pass rusher with a claim to the trophy is Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt. Watt leads the team in sacks with 14.0 with two interceptions and seven forced fumbles to his credit. Watt also leads a defense responsible for allowing only 18.3 points per game which is good for No. 3 in the NFL. The performance of the Steelers defense has been a big reason why they are still in the playoff hunt and Watt is the leader of that high-octane pass rush.
T.J Watt’s teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick has also has a point to make his case for the award. Fitzpatrick has the longest defensive return for a touchdown with a 96-yard score. He also has five interceptions on the year and has boosted the Steelers secondary tremendously since coming over from the Miami Dolphins.
New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore could possibly have the best chance to undercut Chandler Jones for the award. Gilmore is tied for the league lead in interceptions with six alongside Buffalo Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White and Minnesota Vikings defensive back Anthony Harris. Gilmore also leads a Patriots defense that has allowed a near-historic 13.2 points per game and they rank as the best in the league in many pass defense metrics such as: pass touchdowns allowed, passer rating, interceptions and opponent completion percentage.
The Verdict:
Chandler Jones should easily be the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.
No one is more dominant in the league at sacking the quarterback and Jones is putting up numbers that would allow him to be one of the best pass rushers in history in his career. He is also putting up strong tackling numbers as he has 40 solo tackles for a position where his main job is being a pass rush specialist.
Chandler Jones can do it all and he has shown that he is the best in the league at what he does. That is what the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award is about, being the best in the league and at your position, Chandler Jones has proven that.
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