:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71960104/1246671328.0.jpg "Defensive Player of the Year award winner 2023: Nick Bosa named top defender this season")
The Associated Press has awarded the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award to Nick Bosa of the San Francisco 49ers at this year's NFL Honors. This marks the first DPOY award for Bosa in his career and it may not be the lone hardware once his playing days are over, as the 49ers' defensive end is one of the bright defensive stars in the NFL.
Bosa took home 46 of 50 first place votes to win the award. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons finished second with 101 points, claiming 30 second place votes and 11 third place votes. The other first place votes went to Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones came (one), Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick (two), and New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams (one).
Defensive Player of the Year: 49ers DE Nick Bosa
Starting in 16 games, Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks (second-most in franchise history) and 49 quarterback hits. This season, the defensive lineman notched 51 total tackles (41 solo), 19 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and a pass defended. Bosa logged at least one sack through 13 games this season, including a season-high performance of three sacks versus the Miami Dolphins in Week 13. He registered five games with multiple sacks this season.
Myles Garrett and TJ Watt were co-favorites heading into Week 1 at +700, with the Dallas Cowboys' Micah Parsons holding -225 odds by the month of November. After the 49ers compiled a 10-game winning streak to close out the season, largely off the back of their stellar defense, Bosa gradually became the favorite to win the hardware by the end of the season. By January 1, the 49ers' defensive end was the favorite with -1400 odds, with Parsons behind him at +650.