Midseason NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates

Midway through the NFL season a handful of rookies have made their case for postseason awards, but there are three clear front-runners for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

You can also check out the top Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates.

Unlike the offensive side of the ball, the Defensive Rookie of the Year award has a much tighter race. More than the three players listed here have played to the standard of the title. However, these three stand above the rest and could take the award with a strong second half.

Devin Bush

Being the first top-10 pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers since Plaxico Burress in 2000 comes with a certain weight of expectations. Devin Bush has managed to shatter those expectations through the first eight weeks of the season.

Bush’s 59 total tackles lead the Steelers defense by a healthy margin as do his four fumble recoveries. The entire Steeler defense has a knack for turnovers, but his recoveries and interceptions coupled together are good for a team-leading six turnovers. In fact, he’s tied with Devin McCourty for the league lead in this regard.

Much like last year’s winner Darius Leonard, Bush has proven the value of a three-down, sideline-to-sideline linebacker in the NFL. Whether or not that quality outweighs the value of an elite edge rusher is a difficult argument to stand.

For that reason, Bush falls behind two of the game’s brightest young stars on the edge.

Josh Allen

In reality, these next two players are truly 1-A and 1-B. It just so happens Josh Allen is the 1-B. Allen simply doesn’t get the recognition of the man ahead of him, however much he deserves it.

Allen has recorded seven sacks through the first half of the season with five added QB hits. In short, the 7th-overall pick has been every bit as advertised coming out of Kentucky.

Allen makes a fine argument. But at the end of the day, a few things lean the other guy’s way. Allen still has eight more games to make his case on the field. Regardless, his production to this point should be noted by all.

Nick Bosa

Now for 1-A. Nick Bosa was a highly sought after commodity in the 2019 NFL Draft. Landing with the San Francisco 49ers was a dream for the edge defender thanks to all of the talent up front on what has turned to be one of the NFL’s most improved defenses.

Bosa shares the rookie lead in sacks with Allen, though Bosa does have fewer QB hits at 13. It’s fair to say his 46-yard pick-six makes up for that.

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Leaning in Bosa’s favor is, of course, the name recognition. His brother, Joey, won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. Impressively, Nick is on par with his brother’s performance just slightly. Joey had 6.5 sacks, 15 QB hits and 27 total tackles through his first nine games.

There is still plenty of time in the season to see a lead change. Any one of these players could create a lead and build separation. Watching these three go at it will be the real prize.