The NFL Defensive Player of the Year award is a very important accolade. Winning this award will launch a player into a whole new stratosphere of all-time defensive talent. Generally, the player that wins this award will be a pass rusher. Texans legend J.J. Watt is one of two players to take home DPOY honors 3 times. The other is Giants all-time great linebacker Lawrence Taylor, who is the consensus greatest defensive player of all time. Rams interior rusher Aaron Donald is the reigning DPOY, and he has won it in back to back seasons. A hat trick is on the table for Donald if the cards fall in his favor. After all, he is the best player in the NFL when considering pure positional dominance. Who could possibly dethrone him?
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore has been considered that guy for much of the season. JJ’s brother T.J. Watt is another candidate, as he has anchored a resurgent Steelers defense. There is no clear cut winner this season, and there are lots of named being floated around. However, Saints safety Marcus Williams is the deserving defensive player of the year.
Defensive Player of the Year: Making the Case for Marcus Williams
Establish the Pass
Players in the front seven will usually win defensive player of the year because they consistently perform. The last defensive back to win defensive player of the year was Troy Polamalu in 2010. In eight consecutive seasons, either a linebacker, defensive end, or defensive tackle has won DPOY. This doesn’t seem fair. After all, coverage is the most important aspect of defense. Passing the football is the most important part of the offense, so stopping the pass must be the most important part of defense. Pass rushers can definitely help get quarterbacks off their spot and disrupt the passing offense, but the actual coverage aspect of defense is more important. Defensive backs are responsible for preventing receivers from getting open. They are the ones who try to lock down the passing game, and the ones who do it well should get more consideration for DPOY. Williams is one of those guys.
The Stats
Of players with over 50 percent of available snaps played, Williams is the fourth-ranked overall defender with a 91.0 grade, and the highest-graded defensive back. Of players who have played 80 percent of available snaps, he is second, behind the great Donald. He has the highest coverage grade of any player. If you do not like PFF’s grading, there are other stats to back him up. Williams has allowed only nine completed passes in 17 targets. He has four interceptions and has only allowed one touchdown. All of this is good for a 49.8 passer rating in his zone. Additionally, the Saints have the 11th-best pass defense in the NFL, despite other players not playing particularly well. He is also a fantastic run defender. He has just six missed tackles with 12 stops, or tackles that resulted in a failure for the offense. Williams is a fantastic all-around player.
This season has not necessarily been a breakout for Williams. In his rookie season in 2017, he was nearly as good. He had an 89.2 grade that season and a 56.4 passer rating in his zone. Unfortunately, his fantastic season was overshadowed by the Minnesota Miracle. He had some struggles in 2018, maybe due to a lack of confidence. However, he finished the season strong, and he has had a fantastic 2019.
The Film
Stats are great, but we need some visual evidence to confirm these statistics. Here’s some standout plays.
Playmaking/Coverage
https://twitter.com/GavinRodLWOS/status/1202067804741988352
https://twitter.com/GavinRodLWOS/status/1202070308678553600
Elite Tackling
https://twitter.com/GavinRodLWOS/status/1202073208972668929
As you can see with these select plays, Williams possesses top-end tracking speed and elite play-making ability. His skills are incredibly refined and his football IQ is off the charts.
Will Marcus Williams Win?
Unfortunately for Williams, he will most likely not win DPOY. He is not the established superstar that Polamalu or 2008 winner, former Raiders and Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, was. Only three defensive backs have been given odds for DPOY, and none of them are Williams. Gilmore, Earl Thomas, and Minkah Fitzpatrick have had great seasons respectively, but they have not outperformed Marcus Williams. Period. The media is giving no attention to him, despite his fantastic season. However, I do hope that this article might shine a light on the otherworldly season Williams is having.
