Published October 15, 2026 05:02 AM
On a Texans team that hasn’t had much to celebrate this season, defensive end Will Anderson is the NFL’s leading candidate for the Defensive Player of the Year award.
Anderson leads the NFL with 7.5 sacks through five games, which puts him on a record pace of 25.5 sacks in a 17-game season. Anderson has had at least half a sack in every game this season, and he’s coming off his best game of the season, with three sacks on Titans quarterback Cam Ward.
Anderson, who also has 10 tackles for loss, is the first NFL player to have at least 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in his team’s first five games since 2012, when J.J. Watt did it, also for the Texans.
Unlike the league MVP award, which almost always goes to the quarterback on one of the best teams in the league, the voters are willing to give the Defensive Player of the Year award to players on bad teams. Last year it was Myles Garrett on the 5-12 Browns, and this year it may go to Anderson even if the Texans don’t turn things around.
The current betting odds have Anderson as the overwhelming favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, with +125 odds. He’s followed by Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt and Minnesota’s Dallas Turner, both at +850.
Houston made a huge investment in Anderson, first trading two first-round picks, a second-round pick and a third-round pick to move up and draft him third overall in 2023, then signing him to a three-year, $150 million contract extension this year. On a team that has been a massive disappointment, Anderson has been a bright spot.