Patriots' Stephon Gilmore Not Favored to Win 2020 Defensive Player of the Year
For just the second time in the past two decades, a cornerback was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year for the 2019 NFL season by the Associated Press. That player was New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
Gilmore wholeheartedly deserved the award. He shut down some of the best receivers in the league, such as DeAndre Hopkins, Tyreek Hill, Odell Beckham, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Amari Cooper. The veteran CB was the catalyst for a Patriots defense that was on a historic pace at one point last season.
But how strong are Gilmore's chances of repeating as Defensive Player of the Year in 2020? BetOnline released their odds for who will win DPOY for the 2020 season, which included Gilmore in the top 10, but not that close to the top of the list:
1) Aaron Donald: 7/1
2) Nick Bosa: 9/1
3) J.J. Watt: 11/1
4) T.J. Watt: 11/1
5) Khalil Mack: 12/1
6) Stephon Gilmore: 16/1
7) Chandler Jones: 18/1
8) Derwin James: 20/1
9) Joey Bosa: 20/1
10) Von Miller: 20/1
Unfortunately, the position Gilmore plays makes it difficult for him to repeat as DPOY. Edge rushers and defensive lineman altogether will always get the nod over a defensive back because their impact in a football game stands out more to the viewer and on the stat sheet. Thats why Aaron Donald, Nick Bosa, J.J. Watt, T.J. Watt and Khalil Mack were all listed in front of Gilmore in these odds. It takes a season-long performance like Gilmore's in 2019 - where he continually shut out the opposition's No. 1 receiver - in order to earn one of the NFL's highest honors and to be the favorite by oddsmakers.
At 30 years old, it will be a tall task for Gilmore to repeat what he did last season. Without linebackers Kyle Van Noy and Jamie Collins - who departed in free agency - pressuring opposing quarterbacks with their elite pass-rushing abilities, if the Patriots want to maintain a high level of defensive play in 2020 their secondary will have to be even better - if that's possible - at covering pass-catchers since the pass rush may not be as strong as it was in 2019. That means Gilmore will have to shut out players like DeAndre Hopkins, Cooper Kupp, Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, and Tyler Lockett in 2020, as their teams will be facing the six-time Super Bowl champions next season. That's not easy to do. But as we saw from Gilmore last season, it's possible.
