The Best Bets for DPOY, DROY and Coach of the Year

NFL training camp is underway which means the NFL season is starting soon. While the offseason is the hardest time to predict NFL futures, it also presents the best odds. Even the favorites for NFL awards have 4-to-1, 6-to-1 or 8-to-1 odds.

Let’s look at the NFL odds for awards the defense and coaching: 

(Each award lists a favorite and dark horse for the honors)

Bets to consider:

Micah Parsons: To win Defensive Player of the Year (+650, PointsBet)

While it is not the most fun to talk about the favorite, Micah Parsons makes a strong case to be the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year. In 2021, as a rookie, Parsons got the second-largest share of DPOY votes. Rightfully, he got every vote for DROY that season with 84 tackles and 13 sacks in 16 games played. Last year he was second again in DPOY voting with a 40.4% share in the voting.

Parsons is a prime example of a hybrid defender that is becoming more popular in the NFL. Sometimes he plays the edge and rushes the quarterback. Off the edge, he’s had 13 and 13.5 sacks in his two seasons and is averaging 28.5 QB hits. Other times he plays a traditional linebacker role and racks up tackles. 

He has a wide array of tools and is all over the field. No. 11 for the Cowboys is fun to watch.

Roquan Smith: To win Defensive Player of the Year (+4000, PointsBet)

It’s hard to skip over guys like TJ Watt, Aaron Donald (tied for most DPOY awards) and Aidan Hutchinson. However, a true dark horse to consider for 2023 DPOY honors is the tackling machine in Baltimore, Roquan Smith.

Roquan Smith started his career in Chicago and really stood out the past two years on a Bears team without many other defensive stars. This past season he was traded partway through to the Ravens. Besides the change of uniform, Smith’s second half of the season was nearly identical to his first half in Chicago. In each of 2021 and 2022, he had over 160 tackles, 95+ solo tackles, 11+ tackles for a loss, four sacks, and three interceptions. 

The Ravens recognized the Pro Bowler’s dominance and locked him up for five years at $100 million – making him the highest-paid inside linebacker.

While in recent years pass rushers have owned the award, in 2013, linebacker Luke Kuechly won DPOY with a tackle-heavy season. 

Bets to consider: 

Christian Gonzalez: To win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+1000, BetMGM)

The defensive mastermind Bill Belichick used his first-round draft pick to get the stud corner Christain Gonzalez from Oregon. Belichick has a history of coaching and/or producing successful DBs like Asante Samuel, Devin McCourty and Patrick Chung. Even more so he has elevated press-man corners to the next level in Ty Law, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler and J.C. Jackson.

The No. 17 overall pick slots in as the next guy on that list for the Patriots. Plus, it’s worthy to note he was projected to go top-10 in a variety of mock drafts. A $10 bet on Gonzalez would payout $110. 

Joey Porter Jr.: To win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+3000, BetMGM)

Joey Porter Jr., the new Steelers corner, has gotten a lot of talk for his upcoming matchups against the league’s best this season: Ja’Marr Chase or Tee Higgins, Odell Beckham Jr. and Amari Cooper all in the division, and DaVante Adams and DK Metcalf or Tyler Lockett out of the division.

If he can limit those names he can build a strong storyline for DROY. Porter Jr. will play for the same team his dad was drafted for in 1999 as a linebacker. 

Bets to consider:

Dan Campbell: To win Coach of the Year (+850, DraftKings)

The two favorites for this award both deserve to be highlighted. Dan Campbell of the Lions heads into his third year at the helm and has improved his squad each year. Last year, the Lions started 1-6 but finished the season winning eight of 10 to end with a 9-8 record. They were in playoff contention until the final day when the Seahawks eliminated them and took the final wild-card spot. Nonetheless, this was the Lions first winning season since 2017.

Detroit was one of the highest-scoring teams last season at 26.6 points per game. The team could have been double-digits in the win column if they contained teams on defense. 

They go into this year with a few changes. They add three defensive backs with corners Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley, along with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

On offense, they part ways with running back Jamaal Williams who scored 17 touchdowns and D’Andre Swift. They added No. 12 pick Jahmyr Gibbs and Bears running back David Montgomery.

If Campbell can elevate his team with the changes, he has a nice shot in a division with the Bears and Packers whose futures win total lines are at 7.5. 

Sean Payton: To win Coach of the Year (+900, DraftKings)

The second-best odds for Coach of the Year is Sean Payton with the Broncos. Payton was the head coach of the Saints for 15 years and had Drew Brees at quarterback for all 15 of those years. When Payton took the job he brought a 3-13 team to a 10-6 record and their first playoff appearance in six years. The team ranked first in passing and fifth in points scored. During his tenure, the Saints made the playoffs nine times and won Super Bowl XLIV. 

Payton’s history with the Saints is important to his new job with the Broncos. After taking a year away from coaching, he comes to help the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL. Russell Wilson and the Broncos averaged 16.9 points per game, despite Wilson’s success in Seattle.

Denver had a solid defense last year and if they can turn their offense around and get wins against their divisional rivals, the Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders, Payton makes a strong case for COTY for a team with +5000 Suoer Bowl odds.