It might finally be time for Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr.to take over as the face of the NFL's defense.
He's the best defensive player to suit up in a Texans' uniform since J.J. Watt. Much like the future Hall of Famer, NFL coaches, executives and personnel members expect 2026 to be the season that hardware returns to Reliant Stadium.
With the NFL season set to begin this Wednesday with the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler asked league executives and scouts to sort out who will hold the hardware when the 2026 season ends. At MVP, Cincinnati's Joe Burrow took home the honors, joining the three other young guns as the league's finest with the highest honor.
And at defensive end? Anderson
won the title.
Last season, he was the only player to come close to competing with now-Los Angeles Rams defensive end and two-time winner Myles Garrett. This season, given that the focus will be on the offensive side in L.A., the execs are sold on the former No. 3 overall pick being the No. 1 defender in the league.
"Anderson can become the fifth edge rusher in the past six years to win this award," Fowler wrote. "Fending off reigning champ Myles Garrett won't be easy, but voters in such exercises often like to predict ascending young players breaking the mold.
"Anderson is 25, squarely in his prime, and has improved his sack total in each of his first three seasons, from seven to 11 to 12. Houston has a realistic chance to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl thanks to a vaunted defense led by Anderson."
Given that his sack total has never been a team-leading stat, some would assume it won't be enough to win the award. However, one executive pointed out that it's how teams prepare for Anderson that opens chances for others like Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair to find success winning with the sack totals.
Part of the reason for Houston's high takeaways is that quarterbacks are running for their lives with the pressure coming off Anderson's side. Even when he's not winning the rep with the closing move, Anderson is affecting the outcome of the play on every snap, something that voters look for.
"He can have the type of 15-sack season that will define him, especially with Danielle Hunter on the other side," an NFL personnel evaluator said. "You can't double both. He can be the leader of that defense, which is just nasty."
To read who else is under consideration for the league awards, click here.
Anderson and the Texans begin the new season this Sunday against the Buffalo Bills at home. Kickoff on CBS is scheduled for noon.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. projected favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2026 by ESPN
