Joey Bosa named 2016 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Joey Bosa’s NFL tenure got off to a bit of a contentious start.

After an extensive holdout in an era where post-draft holdouts are virtually unheard of, Bosa and the then San Diego Chargers compromised and Bosa returned to training camp just before the start of the regular season.

While an injury slowed his ability to make an immediate impact, the second that Bosa was healthy, opposing offensive lines were at his mercy. From the second that he first stepped on the field for NFL regular season action, the former Ohio State defensive line standout looked exactly like he did in scarlet & gray: dominant.

Bosa finished his rookie campaign with 10.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and 41 combined tackles (29 solo). Anyone who watched the now Los Angeles Chargers for any extended period of time saw how often unstoppable the rookie-in-name-only was.

The most exciting part for the man with the twitter handle ‘jbbigbear’? The best is yet to come. As his team relocates, he’ll have a chance to win over new hearts and minds as opposing quarterbacks learn to dread heading to visit LA knowing that Bosa will just about already be there waiting for them in the back field.

And though his former teammate Ezekiel Elliott was snubbed for the NFL’s Offensive Rookie honor (which went to Zeke’s teammate Dak Prescott), you’ll be hard pressed to remember the last time a pair of OSU rookies had the kind of impact that these two did during the 2016/17 NFL season.