Handing out Baltimore Ravens midseason awards (MVP, OPOY, DPOY, and more)

Baltimore Ravens Defensive Player of the Year: Geno Stone

This feels so disrespectful to Roquan Smith. Smith not only should be right with Lamar Jackson for the MVP of the entire team, but he is right here with Geno Stone as the best player on the defense. Roquan Smith is a team player, and he has to understand that, like Linderbaum, this award is about shining some praise on a player who does not always get it. 

However, like Linderbaum, he deserves it in every way. What can you say about the way that Geno Stone has played this year? He leads the entire NFL interceptions, and he started the year as a backup. The Ravens even benched him after he filled in for Marcus Williams, and Williams returned. An injury to Williams pushed Stone right back into the lineup, and now he is playing so well that you cannot bench him.

What is great about Stone is that he has filled in at free safety but could play the strong safety role if needed. His addition has allowed Kyle Hamilton to move around a lot more, and in the coming weeks, that will be the case as well. 

You could argue that the Baltimore Ravens have two of the top five candidates for Defensive Player of the Year in the entire NFL. Between Roquan Smith and Geno Stone, you cannot go wrong, but leading the NFL interceptions is just enough to get the nod.