Aaron Donald, JJ Watt and Lawrence Taylor Have All Won Award Three Times

Published on September 18th, 2024 9:57 am EST
Written By: Dave Manuel


It's scary to think that there was a time when Aaron Donald and JJ Watt were both in their primes and were both playing in the NFL at the same time.

Three players - Aaron Donald, JJ Watt and Lawrence Taylor - have won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times in the NFL.

Five players - Ray Lewis, Bruce Smith, Reggie White, Mike Singletary and Joe Greene - have won the award twice.

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Aaron Donald finished his career with 340 tackles, 203 assists and 111 sacks in 154 games played.

Donald was an absolute beast for the Rams, forcing offenses to scheme around him, as he would require double and even triple teams to properly handle.

Donald retired when he was still near the top of his game, as he said he had nothing left to prove.

JJ Watt finished his career with 449 tackles, 137 assists and 114.5 sacks in 151 games. Watt was such a freak athlete that his teams would scheme him into offensive plays sometimes, as he was that hard to handle. Watt struck fear into the hearts of opposing offenses.

Lawrence Taylor finished his career with 132.5 sacks in 184 games, and is regarded as one of the absolute best defensive players of all time. In addition to his 132.5 sacks, Taylor also finished his career with nine interceptions.

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A number of active NFL players - including TJ Watt, Myles Garrett and Khalil Mack - have one Defensive Player of the Year award to their names.

Will any active players win three DPOY awards? Watt and Garrett, to name two, are certainly still performing at a high level, but both men are approaching the age of 30.

Given the parity in defensive talent in the NFL right now, it seems hard to imagine that anybody will stand out enough to win three DPOY awards.