NFL Defensive Player of the Year 2015-16: Award Winner, Voting Results, Reaction

For the third time in four seasons, Houston Texans bruising pass-rusher J.J. Watt has been named the Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the league announced Saturday.

Watt tallied league highs in tackles for loss (29), sacks (17.5) and hits on quarterbacks (50) while leading the Texans to a 9-7 campaign that resulted in their third AFC South title since he broke into the league in 2011.

At only 26 years old with his entire career ahead of him, Watt joined Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor as the only three-time winners of the award, and he flashed off his new hardware in trademark fashion, per the NFL:

The other finalists were Carolina Panthers cornerback Josh Norman, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald—all very worthy of consideration. 

But Watt arguably had more impact on the Texans than any defensive player on any team. After falling into a 2-5 hole to start the season, Watt anchored Houston to lead every major defensive category from Week 8 through the end of the year, per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.

Player	Votes
J.J. Watt	37
Aaron Donald	7
Luke Kuechly	4
Josh Norman	2

“The funny thing is that I was a 2-star recruit coming out of high school going into college, and now I have three Defensive Player of the Year trophies,” Watt said during the CBS telecast. “So screw all you guys who doubted me.”

Watt’s success is rooted in his tireless work ethic. Texans wide receiver Uzoma Nwachukwu elaborated on Watt’s relentless drive and speculated that he’ll probably be training again by the end of the evening:

After accepting the award, Watt spoke fondly of memories of imitating iconic pass-rusher Reggie White while toying around in his backyard with his brothers. And this year, he joined White as the only players to tally 17 sacks or more in three separate seasons. 

In addition to his reputation as the league’s best pass-rusher, Watt is also one of the most likable characters in a league full of personalities, and noted that seeing kids wearing his jersey is “literally the coolest thing in the world.”

Though it didn't determine the award winner, Watt led the fan vote by a comfortable margin, as NFL Now showed:

Despite Watt’s incredible talent, the Texans haven’t been able to take the next leap and contend for a Super Bowl.

They narrowly squeaked into the playoffs this year by virtue of playing in a weak division and were subsequently exposed by the Kansas City Chiefs in a 30-0 Wild Card Round loss. But if Houston can find a reliable quarterback to complement its stingy defense, it should be able to take another step in the playoffs down the road.