Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II became the second player in team history to win defensive player of the year. He joined Hall of Fame linebacker Randy Gradishar (1978) in earning the award.
Von Miller finished second in voting for the award in 2012 and 2016 when he was with the Broncos, and cornerback Champ Bailey was second in 2002 when he played in Denver.
Surtain won the award with 330 points and 26 of 50 first-place votes. Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (205 points, 11 first-place votes), was second, Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett (162, 5) third, Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt (114, 3) fourth and Eagles linebacker Zack Baun (63, 2) fifth.
Surtain matched a career high in interceptions (4) and led the NFL with 132 interception return yards. He scored a 100-yard touchdown on a pick-six against the Raiders in Week 5.
He had 11 passes defensed, his fourth consecutive season with double-digit passes defensed.
According to the team, Surtain had 92 coverage snaps against five AFC Pro Bowlers this season and allowed six receptions on 16 targets for 56 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and an 8.3 passer rating.
He also won first-team All-Pro, Pro Bowl honors, NFLPA Players’ first-team All-Pro, PFWA All-NFL player, 101 Award AFC defensive player of the year and Demaryius Thomas Team MVP.
Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is continuing his push for the team to keep the band together.
Burrow has expressed his preference that the Bengals hold onto wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as well as defensive end Trey Hendrickson on many occasions and he did so again during an appearance on Fox Sports’ Breakfast Ball on Thursday. Burrow added impending free agent tight end Mike Gesicki to the mix and said that the team has the cap space to work out deals with all of the players.
“I do. I do,” Burrow said, via Paul Dehner of TheAthletic.com. “We have the cap space to get it done. I want to make it happen. Everybody involved Trey, Tee, Ja’Marr, Mike G, we all want to stay together. When you have guys that are motivated like that I think you can get those things done.”
Burrow’s mention of the team’s cap space is notable and a simple restructure of Burrow’s contract would clear more cap space now by moving some of his $46.25 million cap hit into the future. It wouldn’t do anything to reduce the total payout, however, and that has been a sticking point for the Bengals when it comes to holding onto their own players over the years.
Outside of Burrow redoing his deal to take less money, there’s not much he can do to change that part of the equation which may mean that the saber rattling stops short of bringing him the result that he wants.
Former NFL cornerback Pacman Jones has been one of the more colorful NFL players of the last 20 years. In an extended visit with PFT Live on Wednesday from New Orleans, Jones became one of our most colorful guests.
Jones, whose career seemed to be over before it even got rolling due to a stream of off-field incidents, ended up playing 12 years in the NFL after finding his “redemption.” During our chat, Jones reflected on his career, shared some of the lessons he has learned, acknowledged his weaknesses, explained his ongoing mentorship of Chris Henry Jr., and otherwise had plenty of entertaining stories from his time in the NFL. (The John Abraham story was unexpected, to say the least.)
The language is salty at time, but that’s real. Pacman, who played for the Titans, Cowboys, and Bengals, has always been his real and authentic self. If made for a fun, eye-opening conversation that is worth every second of your time.
Defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s future with the Bengals has been a topic of discussion for some time and Hendrickson suggested that this offseason will be the right time to settle the question once and for all.
Hendrickson requested a trade last offseason before joining the team for the season and leading the league with 17.5 sacks. He’s headed into the final year of his deal and Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin said last month that he’s earned a new deal, but added that it is “to be determined” if the two sides will be able to come to an agreement.
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Hendrickson referenced Tobin’s comments and said he “would have preferred to kind of heard it differently than my dad texting me a tweet.” He also suggested that he’d welcome a trade if an agreement on contract terms proves elusive.
“If it’s something we can agree on in terms, that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati,” Hendrickson said. “If it’s something that helps the Bengals win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I’m there or not.”
Hendrickson said that he doesn’t “want to become a distraction for the team” once they’re back to work, so it would seem that his preferred course would be to settle things one way or the other in the next couple of months.
A Tuesday arrest in New York’s Diamond District could be linked to the December burglary of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home.
NBC News reports that investigators contend the business worked with a group that has been targeting homes across the country, with the Burrow theft specifically mentioned.
Two men, Dimitriy Nezhinskiy and Juan Villar, were arrested under a felony indictment for conspiracy to receive stolen property and receiving stolen property, according to the criminal complaint.
Per the report, investigators are exploring whether the men have ties to the group that recently was arrested in connection with the Burrow burglary. The authorities claim that Nezhinskiy and Villar have been linked by evidence including phone contacts between Nezhinskiy and two of four Chilean nationals who were arrested last month.
“Nezhinskiy and Villar regularly served as ‘fences’ for burglary crews based out of South America who traveled around the United States committing burglaries, typically targeting wealthier neighborhoods or jewelry vendors, and stealing luxury accessories,” the U.S. attorney’s office said in a statement. “Nezhinskiy and Villar’s operation provided an essential market for the stolen goods.”
“The defendants created an illicit market and fueled demand for burglaries by South American Theft Groups and other crews around the country by purchasing stolen watches, jewelry and other luxury items, and then re-selling them in their New York City store,” U.S. attorney John J. Durham added.
Having a way to sell stolen goods is a key piece of the operation. Stealing the items is the first step. Turning them into cash is the second.
Searches conducted in New York and New Jersey yielded “large quantities of suspected stolen property,” including high-end watches and handbags, wine, sports memorabilia, jewelry, artwork and burglary tools.
