2020 NFL Defensive Player Of The Year Odds & Prediction
The NFL Season is inching closer and it will be interesting to see if some of the games will have fans in the stands. Today, we are here to discuss the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award that will be handed out at the end of the season. As with most of my other lists like this, I will count down from 10-1 as far as how I see the race for the DPOY will go. Let’s get after it.
All Odds are Courtesy of BetOnline.ag
10) CB Stephon Gilmore (+1600): Stephon Gilmore is the reigning Defensive Player of the year after racking up six INTs, 20 passes defended, and 44 solo tackles for the New England Patriots a season ago. Two of his INTs were returned for touchdowns. He now has 24 INTs in his eight-year career, but the two he returned for TDs last year were the first two of his career. Gilmore is a solid cornerback and the patriots have the best defense in the league but I will look for him to take a bit of a tumble down the balloting standings this year.
9) DB Derwin James (+2000): James missed 11 games last year but he still had 23 solo tackles and three tackles for loss in those games. The year before was his rookie season and he had three INTs, 3.5 sacks, 75 solo tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and six QB hits. I will look for him to have a better season than his rookie year, as long as he stays healthy. He was a first-round pick of the Chargers in 2018 and this is the year that he puts up 1stv round pick numbers.
8) Myles Garrett (+2000): The Cleveland Browns are building a solid team and they hope to have finally solved their head coaching problems with the hiring of Kevin Stefanski. Freddie Kitchens was a mess last year. The Browns have a solid offense but their defense may be a bit better and it is led by Myles Garrett, who racked up 10 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 20 solo tackles, and 18 quarterback hits. He also did all of that in just 10 games. He is now healthy and is looking to have an even bigger season like back in 2018 when he totaled 13.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 29 QB hits. Look for Garrett to finish 8th in the DPOY balloting this year.
7) DE Joey Bosa (+2000): Joey Bosa has had a solid career with he Los Angeles Chargers this far. He did have an injury-riddled 2018, playing in just seven games, but he came back strong last year, posting 11.5 sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 31 QB hits. In four years with the team, he has played in 51 and has totaled 40 sacks, 53 tackles for loss, and 82 QB hits. He is a beast on the line for the Bolts and as long as he stays healthy. Bosa will put up some solid numbers again. He will not win the award this year but I do see him winning it in the future.
6) OLB Khalil Mack (+1200): Mack started his career in Oakland and moved to Chicago in a blockbuster trade in 2018. He is a monster at linebacker but did have his lowest sack total (8.5) since his rookie campaign when he had just four. Still, Khalil has racked up 61.5 sacks 86 tackles for loss, 116 QB hits, 20 forced funnels, and seven fumble recoveries in his six years in the league. Mack has been to five pro bowls and was DPOY back in 2016. He won’t win it this year but you can expect another solid season from the Chicago linebacker.
5) JJ Watt (+1100): When he is healthy, JJ Watt is one of the most disruptive and dominant players in the league. In his first five years, he racked up 74.5 sacks, 132 tackles for loss, 209 QB hits, 45 passes defended, forced 15 fumbles, and made 12 fumble recoveries. Watt won DPOY three times over that stretch. In his last four years, he has just 21.5 sacks, 26 TFLs, 56 QB hits, 8 forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. He did not win the award over that stretch. The difference between the first five years an the last four is that he played un all 16 games in his first five years in the league compared to just 32 games total in his last four. When healthy, he is a beast, but he has developed injury issues the last few years and that does make him a risky play to have the nine-year veteran even on this list. still, I will look for him to finish 5th in the balloting.
4) DE Chandler Jones (+1800): Jones was drafted by the New England Patriots back in 2012 and since entering the league. He has led it with 96 total sacks. Still, he has never won Defensive Player of the Year. I do not see him winning the award this year but he should finish around 7th in the balloting. Chandler Came over to the Arizona Cardinals in 2016 and he has racked up 60 sacks, 67 tackles for loss, 98 QB hits, 17 forced fumbles, and 15 passes defended. How has this guy not won the award yet? Last year he had 19 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and eight forced fumbles ad I will look for him to have another big year in 2020. It just won’t be enough to win the award, but if you are looking for a nice semi-long shot, Jones could be your guy.
3) TJ Watt (+1100): TJ is the younger of the Watt brothers but he is just as talented. This is his 4th year in the league and he has now racked up 34.5 sacks, three INTs, 15 forced fumbles, 36 tackles for loss, and 70 QB hits so far. Last year he had 14.5 sacks, 14 TFLs, 36 QB hits, 8 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two INTs for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Very strong numbers and that allowed him to finish 3rd in the balloting a year ago. With 27.5 sacks in his last two seasons, I will look for TJ to have his best year yet and again finish in the top three as far as the balloting goes.
2) EDGE Nick Bosa (+900): Nick is the younger of the two Bosa brothers and he may turn out to be the more talented of the two. Last year, he won the NFL Defensive Rookie Of The Year after posting nine sacks, 16 tackles for loss, 25 QB hits, and two fumble recoveries for the San Francisco 49ers a season ago. His second year will be even better than that. The Niners have a strong defense overall and he has become a big part of that. He will not win the award this year but I’m sure it is in his future to do so.
1) DT Aaron Donald (+700): Yes, I will be going with the favorite here and with good reason as you will see in a second. Donald has won this award twice and he also won Defensive Rookie of the year back in 2014. In the last two years, Donald has amassed 33 sacks, 45 tackles for loss, 65 QB hits, six forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. Two years ago, he had 20.5 sacks and has led the league in tackles for loss in each of the last two years. He is a dominating force along the front line of the Los Angeles Rams and he will have another strong year, which will give him his 3rd DPOY award in the last four years.
