Aaron Donald is always in contention for the Defensive Player of the Year award as long as he plays in the NFL and he’s expected to be back for the Los Angeles Rams in 2023. Even though Donald has been one of the most dominant defenders in NFL history, he has the eighth-best odds to win the Defensive Player of the Year award next season, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.
The seven players ahead of Donald are Myles Garrett (+750), Micah Parsons (+750), T.J. Watt (+850), Nick Bosa (+1000), Sauce Gardner (+1400), Maxx Crosby (+1500), and Haason Reddick (+2000). Donald is tied with Brian Burns at +2500.
For comparison, Donald and Garrett were co-favorites to win last summer at +650, according to Sports Illustrated. And at the start of the 2021 season, Donald was the favorite at +500, per Lines.com.
The seven-time All-Pro was limited to 11 games during the 2022 season due to a high-ankle sprain he suffered against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12. Despite the lack of help from his edge rushers and the fact he missed six games, Donald still managed to record 10 tackles for loss, five sacks, and a forced fumble this past season.
When it comes to prominent awards, we’ve seen voter fatigue come into play, which is likely one of the reasons why Donald is so low as he’s already won the award three times. After a frustrating season where he missed his first game due to injury, Donald could be motivated in 2023 to prove he’s still arguably the best defensive player in the NFL.
