Texans Edge Will Anderson Jr. Wins NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award Over Rams Tackle Kobie Turner

Texans edge Will Anderson Jr. won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award on Thursday night, beating out Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner for the honor.

Matt Galatzan | Feb 8, 2024

In this story:

Los Angeles Rams

Houston Texans rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award during the NFL Honors show on Thursday night, beating out Los Angeles Rams nose tackle Kobie Turner.

Turner was also joined by Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devin Witherspoon.

A third-round pick out of Wake Forest, Turner recorded 57 combined tackles, 16 quarterback hits, nine sacks and eight tackles for a loss during his excellent rookie season.

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) with linebacker Byron Young (0) and defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium / Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Anderson notched 45 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 67 pressures, 7.0 sacks, one pass deflection, and one blocked field goal across 15 games. His 7.0 sacks set a new rookie franchise record for most sacks in a single season. He also led all rookies in pressures.

Turner is part of what appears to be a franchise-altering rookie class, despite general manager Les Snead and coach Sean McVay not having a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Mahomes Reveals How Stafford Inspired His Game

Rams receiver Puka Nacua was also one of five finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year after catching 105 passes for 1,486 yards in 2023. Outside linebacker Byron Young, also a third-round pick, had 61 combined tackles, 19 quarterback hits, eight sacks and eight tackles for a loss in a tremendous rookie season himself.

QB Matthew Stafford - who was nominated for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year - was the third Ram up for an award,

Published Feb 8, 2024

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com