The king is dead, long live the king. Designated by the starter.
Aaron Donald has been considered the best defender in the NFL for much of his career. Now that he's officially retired, that unofficial title seems up for grabs. Or not.
In Chris Long's podcast, Aaron Donald himself dubbed his heir.
“ I think it's TJ Watt.”explained the former Rams player when asked who is the best defender in the league. “We’re talking about a guy who is consistent. Who is good every year, who will always give you 15, 13 or 22 sacks. He does everything regularly, interceptions, touchdowns. His stats are incredible every year. For me, it's him. »
TJ Watt in front of the young wolves
Obviously, Donald knows that Watt is not the only talented defender in the NFL. Far from there.
“ I know there's Micah Parsons coming, there's Myles Garrett, there's a bunch of good players. But in my opinion, from the first time I saw TJ Watt in the league until last year, he dominated consistently. So I have a lot of respect for him. »
Garrett is the reigning Defender of the Year. TJ Watt has only won this distinction once, in 2021. It must be said that Donald won the trophy three times between 2017 and 2020.
Watt has 96.5 sacks in 104 regular season games. At 29 years old, he will now have to shoulder the weight of the symbolic crown of the best defender in the NFL. Placed on his head by the old reference.
