NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Best Bets To Make

NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Best Bets To Make

knupsolutions
3 years ago
3 min read
NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Best Bets To Make

With Week 1 just over a month away, now is the time to look at some preseason bets for the upcoming season. While over-unders and league MVP are two of the more hyped bets to lock in, looking at potential Defensive Players of the Year is worth your time as well.

When looking at odds, here are a few players to give consideration to when deciding who will win this prestigious award.

EDGE Myles Garrett - Browns (+600)

Just behind Rams superstar Aaron Donald (+400) as the second-best odds to win this award is Myles Garrett. The star edge-rusher is entering his fifth year in the NFL, and at just 25 years old is out to prove his place as the league’s top defensive player.

Despite missing a couple of games and dealing with prominent side effects from COVID-19, Garrett found a way to earn 12 sacks along with 18 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles. It was his second-best season since 2018, where in 16 games he managed a career-high 13.5 sacks and 29 QB hits.

Now fully-healthy, one can only wonder what a player like Garrett is capable of if he plays in all 17 games. Add in the presence of Jadaveon Clowney on the other side of Cleveland’s defensive line, and Garrett is suddenly in a position to make a serious run at the award.

EDGE Nick Bosa - 49ers (+1100)

After being selected second overall in the 2019 draft, Bosa immediately proved he belonged among the game’s top pass-rushers, racking up nine sacks and 25 quarterback hits. However, a torn ACL in Week 2 all but wiped out his sophomore season.

The younger Bosa has made a strong recovery since last September and is ready to prove himself. After all, the former Ohio State Buckeye is still only 23 years old and plays for one of the top defensive teams in football in the 49ers.

Bosa, as well as Washington’s Chase Young, are two of the youngest players to be amongst the top picks to win Defensive of the Year. But the talent is immeasurable, as Bosa could very easily win for being the best player on the league’s top d-unit.

EDGE Chandler Jones - Cardinals (+4000)

Over the last several years, award winners like Donald, J.J. Watt and Khalil Mack have shown that getting to the quarterback is still the best way to earn yourself some hardware. That’s what makes the 31-year old Jones such an intriguing option despite being well down the list.

In his five seasons with Arizona ranging from 2016 through 2020, only one player has earned more sacks than Jones’ 61. That includes him having just a single sack in an injury-shortened season last year which limited him to only five games. When he’s healthy, he has put up 19 and 17-sack seasons, led the league in tackles for loss in 2017, as well as led the league in forced fumbles in 2019.

Jones has been a consistent force in the pass-rush for close to a decade now and should be right back to his old ways in 2021. And now with Watt joining him in the desert to take some pressure off, there are far-worse options with higher odds than +4000 to bet on.

Share article on: