The awards chatter for some of New England’s best has been non-stop through seven games this season.
Quarterback Drake Maye is firmly in the MVP race, with FanDuel currently listing the 23-year-old with the third-best odds to win the award (+700) behind Patrick Mahomes (+125) and Josh Allen (+350).
Head coach Mike Vrabel is currently sitting in the No. 2 spot at FanDuel for AP Coach of the Year at +300, with Colts head coach Shane Steichen leading the pack as of publishing at +125.
And on Wednesday, edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson entered the awards conversation.
…OK, it was just an AFC Defensive Player of the Week victory for his performance during his team’s Week 7 win down in Nashville. But it’s an honor worth celebrating, nonetheless, especially given the journey of Chaisson’s career to this point.
Here’s what the NFL said in press release on Wednesday:
“Chaisson recorded three tackles, two sacks and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in New England’s 31-13 win at Tennessee. He is the first player with two sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown in a game since 2019.
“This is Chaisson’s first-career Defensive Player of the Week award and he becomes the fifth Patriots linebacker to earn the honor in the past 10 seasons (2016-25), joining Dont'a Hightower (Week 6, 2016), Kyle Van Noy (Week 4, 2019), Matthew Judon (Week 5, 2022) and Josh Uche (Week 14, 2022).
“Chaisson becomes the sixth former LSU linebacker to win Defensive Player of the Week, joining Deion Jones (three times), Devin White (three), Kwon Alexander, Liffort Hobley and Patrick Queen.”
After being drafted in the first round by the Jaguars in 2020, Chaisson struggled to make an impact across his four seasons in Jacksonville, combining for just 5 sacks across 57 games played. At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Chaisson was not living up to the billing as a guy who could rush the passer at the next level.
Like a singer or comedian past their prime, he headed to Vegas for the 2024 season to try and turn his career around as a member of the Raiders. And with All-World defensive end Maxx Crosby on his opposite side, Chaisson was finally able to unlock his potential, matching his career-sack total (5) in just one season with the Raiders.
That pop for a subpar defense was enough to catch the attention of the Patriots (5-2) this past offseason, and the 26-year-old signed a one-year deal with New England worth $5 million.
Through seven games in Vrabel’s defense, that $5 million looks like money well-spent, as his 4.5 sacks is second on the team behind Harold Landry III at 5.5.
Chaisson and the New England defense will have another below-average quarterback to get after in Week 8, as rookie Dillon Gabriel comes to town as the Browns’ (2-5) starter sporting a 30.4 QBR with only 3 passing touchdowns on the season.
Tune in each and every Monday throughout the football season to Patriots Monday on WEEI. Head coach Mike Vrabel joins The Greg Hill Show at 6:30 a.m. ET, and quarterback Drake Maye joins WEEI Afternoons.