Players of the year in offensive, defense, and special teams for the Detroit Lions in 2023
We’re going to present our annual season honors after the 2023 Detroit Lions season, which included a trip to the NFC Championship.
A three-part series that will be published in the coming days will feature our presentation of accolades, along with a few dishonors.
Our offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the year will be highlighted first today.
St. Brown’s name is consistency. With six or more receptions in 13 regular-season games, nine 100-yard games, and ten games with a touchdown, the third-year receiver is as dependable as they come.
After being passed over for a Pro Bowl selection in the first place, he significantly increased his overall production for the second straight season, concluding with 119 catches for 1,515 yards and first-team All-Pro recognition.
In addition to being quarterback Jared Goff’s frequent target, St. Brown is incredibly dependable. 29 of his 119 receptions occurred on third down, 75 led to a first down, and he only received four drops out of 164 targets.
Additionally, St. Brown performed better in disputed circumstances, catching 51.5% of the throws, as opposed to 38.5% in the previous year.
In addition, he more than doubled the number of missed tackles he induced, which contributed to his second-place league performance in yards gained after the catch. Ultimately, he almost increased his output on deep throws, which was a preseason objective of his.
Penei Sewell is unquestionably deserving of this award, and the Lions’ 42-point season-opening victory in the one game St.
Brown missed doesn’t help my case, but it’s hard to ignore the receiver’s consistent performance each week and believe the offense would be just as successful without him.
There are many deserving candidates for this honor. The Lions’ offense was largely effective from start to finish this season, with several running backs and pass-catchers producing single-season records.
But since Sewell, the right tackle, turned into one of the league’s most valuable players this past season, I’m going with the man who essentially paved the path for all of them. For the second year in a straight, he started every game.
In pass protection, he gave up just one sack and twenty-five pressures, but his best play was in the run game.
His 95.1 run-block grade for the whole season on Pro Football Focus was excellent enough to win first place in the league by a wide margin.
Sewell’s decline as a pass-catcher cost us some points, but overall, his improvement over the previous season was enormous.
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Over the course of the 2023 season, there aren’t many Detroit defenders who can even be regarded as regularly dependable.
For the second year in a row, linebacker Alex Anzalone posted career highs in the heart of the defense while displaying a newly developed blitzing skill.
And there’s defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who received credit for his offseason physical transformation efforts, which enhanced his dependability as a rush defense and pass rusher.
In 2023, the second-year edge rusher not only improved slightly as a run defender but also reached unprecedented levels of performance in the pass rush.
Above all, he put in a lot of pocket pressure. Of Hutchinson’s 101 total in 2023, only Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Michah Parson had more hurries, hits, and sacks.
The gold standard for pass-rushing statistics is unquestionably sacks, and Hutchinson reached double figures with 11.5 in Year 2, good for a tie for 12th place in the league.
Converting some of his league-high 23 quarterback knockdowns into more sacks will be the next phase in his development. Nevertheless, since Ezekiel Ansah in 2017, this is the strongest performance the Lions have had from an edge defender.
Hutchinson also kept up his penchant for forcing fumbles, forcing three against Carolina in Week 5 and coming down with a heads-up interception.
As Justin hinted, Hutchinson was one of the greatest players in the NFL while holding one of the most significant roles. A few men (fewer than on the offensive side of the ball) may have earned this award, though.
Hutchinson affected the quarterback more than nearly any other player in the league with his 101 pressures. Hutchinson was receiving a lot of criticism for having only 6.5 sacks through Week 15, but despite all the hoopla around the situation, he made the most of his opportunity and finished strong, recording five sacks in the final two weeks of the regular season and three during the playoffs.
Although statistically speaking, punter Jack Fox may not have had the best season, his effectiveness was greater than his numbers would indicate, especially considering his career-best hang time and ability to routinely pin the opposition inside the 20-yard line.
I was really thinking about awarding Fox this trophy for the second time in three seasons after his impressive finish, which he took into the postseason.
However, it’s hard to argue against what Reeves-Maybin achieved after joining the Lions again as a free agent this past offseason. With 14 covering tackles, the four-core player tied for the NFL lead. He also converted not one, but two punt fakes.
The first occurred in the season opener, deep in Detroit territory, when he took a straight snap and went for the first down. The second was a beautiful pass to colleague Khalil Dorsey while in motion.
For his incredible season, Reeves-Maybin was recognized with Pro Bowl and All-Pro (second-team) honors, and we’re not going to deny him this honor.
Again, double-dipping, but you’ll receive the call if you’re one of the few All-Pros for special teams in the league.
With the departure of linebacker Josh Woods, the captain of the special teams the previous season, the Lions had a hole to fill.
Reeves-Maybin was fantastic, not just adequate, with 14 coverage tackles, which matched for the league lead. Additionally, he assumed the job of C.J.
Moore, a former special teams weapon who was frequently assigned as the punt protector and fake execution specialist,.
