PFWA NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award

The Pro Football Writers of America has annually honored a defensive player of the year in the National Football League since 1992. From 1992 through 2012, the award was presented in conjunction with Pro Football Weekly.^[1]

Season	Player	Team	Position	Ref
1992	Cortez Kennedy	Seattle Seahawks	Defensive tackle	[2]
1993	Bruce Smith	Buffalo Bills	Defensive end
1994	Deion Sanders	San Francisco 49ers	Cornerback
1995	Bryce Paup	Buffalo Bills	Outside linebacker
1996	Bruce Smith	Buffalo Bills	Defensive end
1997	Dana Stubblefield	San Francisco 49ers	Defensive tackle
1998	Reggie White	Green Bay Packers	Defensive end
1999	Warren Sapp	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Defensive tackle
2000	Ray Lewis	Baltimore Ravens	Middle linebacker
2001	Michael Strahan	New York Giants	Defensive end
2002	Derrick Brooks	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Outside linebacker
2003	Ray Lewis	Baltimore Ravens	Middle linebacker
2004	Ed Reed	Baltimore Ravens	Safety
2005	Brian Urlacher	Chicago Bears	Middle linebacker
2006	Jason Taylor	Miami Dolphins	Defensive end
2007	Bob Sanders	Indianapolis Colts	Safety
2008	James Harrison	Pittsburgh Steelers	Outside linebacker
2009	Charles Woodson	Green Bay Packers	Cornerback
2010	Clay Matthews III	Green Bay Packers	Outside linebacker
2011	Terrell Suggs	Baltimore Ravens	Outside linebacker
2012	J. J. Watt	Houston Texans	Defensive end
2013	Robert Quinn	St. Louis Rams	Defensive end
2014	J. J. Watt	Houston Texans	Defensive end
2015	J. J. Watt	Houston Texans	Defensive end
2016	Khalil Mack	Oakland Raiders	Defensive end
2017	Calais Campbell	Jacksonville Jaguars	Defensive end
2018	Aaron Donald	Los Angeles Rams	Defensive tackle
2019	Stephon Gilmore	New England Patriots	Cornerback
2020	Aaron Donald	Los Angeles Rams	Defensive tackle
2021	T. J. Watt	Pittsburgh Steelers	Outside linebacker
2022	Nick Bosa	San Francisco 49ers	Defensive end
2023	Myles Garrett	Cleveland Browns	Defensive end
2024	Patrick Surtain II	Denver Broncos	Cornerback

See also

• National Football League Defensive Player of the Year Award, overview of all NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards
• Pro Football Writers of America NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award