NFL futures: The case for Sauce Gardner winning Defensive Player of the Year
Cornerbacks have been quiet in terms of winning Defensive Player of the Year. Stephon Gilmore took home the win in 2019, but since 1993 only four CBs have won DPOY. In that vein, Sauce Gardner has an uphill climb. However, consider that since 2000, only two corners had won Defensive Rookie of the Year prior to Gardner taking home the award last year.
With Gardner already established as an NFL star, why can't he break down that wall again with the ultimate individual honor a defensive player can have?
Sauce Gardner: +1500 to win DPOY (FanDuel)
The issue for many corners in this market is that statistics so often fuel votes and national attention. The fact Gardner was able to win DROY despite just two interceptions goes to show how national voters have shifted in their process for evaluating talent.
Ahead of last year's draft, Gardner's calling card was that he never allowed a touchdown in college. That shutdown ability made him the fourth overall pick, and he immediately came in as one of the most dominant shutdown corners in the game. He sported a 27% forced incompletion rate, best among all corners, and PFF had him graded out as the league's best CB.
Gardner's 20 pass deflections also topped the league. He in effect shut down the opposing team's top wideout week in and week out, and if he can continue shining in both traditional and advanced statistics, he seems like a good bet to get a DPOY win under his belt at some point.
Why not 2023? More often than not, team success does impact one's ability to win individual awards, and expectations are high for the New York Jets this season. Should New York win the AFC East and cement themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, they'll no doubt have everyone's attention, especially considering the media market they play in.
That figures to benefit Gardner, who would be the headlining name for any defensive success the Jets are able to find in 2023.
The Jets and Gardner find themselves matched up with a solid batch of receivers, which could make-or-break his DPOY campaign. Gardner will see Stefon Diggs twice, Jaylen Waddle/Tyreek Hill twice, AJ Brown/DeVonta Smith, Terry McLaurin, CeeDee Lamb and Davante Adams. That also does not even factor in matchups against quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. If Gardner goes in weekly and eliminates an offense's top options, people will know about it.
Gardner is the only defensive back to be inside the top-15 on the board for DPOY, and for good reason. He's only just getting started.
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