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Aaron Donald is coming out of retirement to play defensive tackle next to edge rusher Myles Garrett. That gives the Rams two of the league's Associated Press and Sporting News Defensive Players of the Year since 2017. Donald and Garrett have combined to win each award in five of the past nine seasons.
But two AP DPOYs playing for the same team isn't unprecedented, unlike Garrett, the reigning DPOY, joining reigning MVP QB Matthew Stafford on Los Angeles' roster for 2026.
But the 1972 winner was Steelers defensive tackle "Mean" Joe Greene, who helped Pittsburgh win four rings. Greene, who won twice, was joined by two teammates being honored as DPOY, cornerback Mel Blount ('75) and linebacker Jack Lambert ('76).
"The Steel Curtain" defenses, with Greene, Blount and Lambert all winning four Super Bowls, set the high early standard for past DPOY teammates. Between the Steelers from '74 to '79 to the Donald-Garrett combination, here's breaking down the similar fruitful results for other teams having multiple DPOYs on the same roster:
Bills: Bryce Paup and Bruce Smith, 1995-1997
Smith lost four consecutive Super Bowls with Buffalo after being named DPOY for the 1990 season. Paup won for the team in 1995, with Smith getting his second and final career award in 1996. In three seasons together, Paup and Smith didn't lead the Bills, falling short of the AFC Championship twice and then not making the playoffs.
49ers: Deion Sanders and Dana Stubblefield, 1994
Sanders played only one spectacular season for San Francisco, winning DPOY in '94 on the strength of returning three of his six interceptions for touchdowns. Stubblefield was a stout defensive tackle on that team, later winning DPOY on the strength of 15 sacks in '97. When Sanders and Stubblefield played on the same defense, they won Super Bowl 29 together.
Buccaneers: Warren Sapp and Derrick Brooks, 1995-2003
Sapp, at defensive tackle, and Brooks, at outside linebacker, were half of the Pro Football Hall of Fame duo (with cornerback Ronde Barber and safety John Lynch) who helped Jon Gruden's defense win Super Bowl 37 over the Raiders.
Ravens: Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and Terrell Suggs, 2003-2012
Lewis was the dominant defensive leader when the Ravens won Super Bowl 35, fresh off the 2000 season. But when the Ravens won again in Super Bowl 47 after the 2011 season, the much older linebacker Lewis was joined by Reed's safety playmaking and Suggs' edge rushing. That makes three out of four teams winning Super Bowls when DPOYs have joined forces. The Ravens joined the Steelers' four-ring dynasty in the 1970s in having three DPOYs at the same time.
MORE: How does Aaron Donald's new Rams contract compare to his pre-retirement deal?
Steelers: James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, 2003-2014
Harrison, an edge rusher, won DPOY for his great 2008. Polamalu pulled off the feat two years later in 2010. Both were on the teams that won Super Bowl 40 under Bill Cowher after the 2005 season and Super Bowl 43 under Mike Tomlin after the '08 season. With that doubling up on rings, Harrison and Polamalu got halfway to the feat of Greene, Blount and Lambert as Steelers DPOY teammates.
Rams: Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett, 2026-
Donald won Super Bowl 56 with the Rams without Garrett. As a Brown, Garrett has tasted the playoffs only twice, after the 2020 and 2023 seasons. With the only exception being the Bills' Paup and Smith, Los Angeles is counting on this rare 1-2 punch of a DPOY combination up front will all but guarantee a Super Bowl ring at some point.
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