During the 54 years where the Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) has been awarded, only 8 players have won it more than once. None of those 8 were defensive backs. So, it’s fair to say the odds are stacked against Denver Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II to repeat as DPOY.
Historically, linebackers and defensive ends have dominated the DPOY race each year. But, there was a stretch in the mid-to-late-2000s where a defensive back won the award 4 times in 7 years. That included back-to-back years in 2009 (Green Bay Packers CB Charles Woodson) and 2010 (Pittsburgh Steelers S Troy Polamalu).
With that in mind, it makes sense that Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski included two edge defenders and two defensive linemen among his top five candidates to “dethrone” Surtain and win their first DPOY.
Those 4 candidates named by Sobleski were Detroit Lions edge Aidan Hutchinson, Dallas Cowboys edge Micah Parsons, New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Now that Surtain has broken through among defensive backs, could Ravens star Kyle Hamilton dethrone him for his first DPOY? Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski certainly thinks so, as the analyst included Hamilton as a “dark-horse candidate” for the award yesterday.
Ravens Star Safety Kyle Hamilton Looking to Reclaim Spot as First-Team All-Pro
Last season, Hamilton overcame a slow start by the Ravens defense and finished 10th in DPOY voting. He also earned his second All-Pro nod, albeit a Second-Team selection.
Hamilton was one of three contenders for the two First-Team spots, but two NFC North safeties ultimately won out. Detroit Lions S Kerby Joseph and Green Bay Packers S Xavier McKinney finished as the First-Team All-Pros.
If Hamilton wants to reclaim his spot as a First-Team All-Pro – and compete for DPOY – in 2025, he’ll need to avoid another slow start. After Hamilton moved back to free safety in Week 10, the Ravens defense “went from 28th in EPA allowed per dropback to first,” according to ESPN’s Seth Walder.
Hamilton is best-suited to play strong safety, so rookie safety Malaki Starks should be “the perfect complementary piece.”
If Starks ‘holds up his end of the bargain,’ Hamilton can retake the top spot among all safeties, Sobleski notes.
Hamilton Has Advantage Over Reigning DPOY Patrick Surtain II
Hamilton truly earned his reputation as the league’s most complete safety last season. He stood out with a PFF grade of over 88.0 in coverage, run defense and pass rushing.
Hamilton was the only safety to achieve that feat, according to PFF’s Zoltán Buday. As a result, Buday ranked him as the No. 1 safety in the league heading into 2025.
His ability to move all around the Ravens defensive backfield served as a catalyst during Baltimore’s second-half revival. That Swiss army knife skillset separates him from the other candidates, setting him up for a potential DPOY in 2025.
After a down year in 2023, which still resulted in a Pro Bowl nod, Surtain bounced back quite nicely. He earned the second-highest PFF overall grade last year, according to the 2024 post-season PFF rankings compiled by Jim Wyman in March.
Surtain finished second to Philadelphia Eagles rookie Cooper DeJean, who “earned the Eagles’ starting nickel job following their Week 5 bye and never looked back,” according to Wyman. But, this year, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski believes Kyle Hamilton has the edge over Surtain.
Sobleski acknowledged that Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby‘s omission from the list. But, he noted that he reserved the final spot for a “dark-horse candidate.”
He also noted that he considered Denver Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto, Los Angeles Rams OLB Jared Verse and Houston Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. for the “dark-horse” spot, but the Bleacher Report team ultimately settled on Hamilton.
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