Joey Bosa is better than Nick Bosa in one area, for now
By Tyler Schoon
Nick Bosa has deservedly been receiving accolades for his early success, but his older brother Joey Bosa has a clear edge in one category.
Joey Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year honors for his 2016 season, and his younger brother Nick is looking to do the same in 2019.
The latter has been praised for his instant production just midway through his inaugural season, and is in the conversation for both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Some have argued Nick has even been better than his older brother.
However, although they are eerily similar in terms of pass-rush productivity, the Big Bear has a definite advantage in one category: Run defense.
As it currently stands, here are their stats, per Pro Football Focus:
Joey Bosa vs Nick Bosa stats (Joey with one more game) so far:
Joey: Seven sacks, 37 total pressures, 29 run stops, 31 solo tackles, one forced fumble.
Nick: Seven sacks, 31 total pressures, nine run stops, seven solo tackles, one forced fumble, one INT.
Per Pro Football Focus
— Bolt Beat (@BB_Chargers) October 28, 2019
Joey by far and away has been better against the run, and it’s something he’s improved upon tremendously. With eight games to go, No. 97 is just nine tackles and 12 run stops away from his career-high in each category. His 29 run stops are first in the NFL, and his 31 tackles are second in the NFL for edge defenders.
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So for now, the older Bosa brother gets the nod, simply because he is much more productive as a run defender. That doesn’t mean Nick will never get there, but it does show how much Joey has evolved over his years in the NFL. He’s going to get paid quite a bit within the next year or two; hopefully the Chargers are prepared to make him the highest-paid defender in the NFL.