NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds: Buy Jamal Adams as long shot
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The NFL Defensive Player of the Year race has been pretty archetypal over the last decade. Seven of the last nine winners have been pass-rushers, and 11 of the last 13 were on 11-win teams or better (the other two clubs won their division). That said, Stephon Gilmore broke the pass-rushing trend with his win in 2019, so there's still value on surprise candidates entering 2020.
Here are the odds to win this year's award (50-1 or shorter) and our three favorite value bets.
| PLAYER | ODDS |
|---|---|
| Aaron Donald | +650 |
| Joey Bosa | +1000 |
| Nick Bosa | +1000 |
| J.J. Watt | +1200 |
| Khalil Mack | +1200 |
| T.J. Watt | +1200 |
| Stephon Gilmore | +1500 |
| Von Miller | +1800 |
| Chandler Jones | +2000 |
| Derwin James | +2000 |
| Bobby Wagner | +2500 |
| Danielle Hunter | +2500 |
| Jadeveon Clowney | +2500 |
| Myles Garrett | +2500 |
| Tre'Davious White | +2500 |
| Darius Leonard | +2900 |
| Demarcus Lawrence | +3000 |
| Jamal Adams | +3000 |
| Shaquil Barrett | +3300 |
| Minkah Fitzpatrick | +3500 |
| Bradley Chubb | +4000 |
| Cameron Jordan | +4000 |
| DeForest Buckner | +4000 |
| Jalen Ramsey | +4000 |
| Tyrann Mathieu | +4000 |
| Za'Darius Smith | +4500 |
| Arik Armstead | +5000 |
| Calais Campbell | +5000 |
| Chase Young | +5000 |
| Chris Jones | +5000 |
| Demario Davis | +5000 |
Nick Bosa (+1000)
Nobody fits the mold of past winners more than Bosa, and it's frankly surprising his odds aren't shorter. The former No. 2 overall pick was one of the league's most dominant pass-rushers as a rookie and could have won Super Bowl MVP had the 49ers not blown a fourth-quarter lead.
He enters this year as one of the game's premier talents and should easily reach the necessary statistical milestones to win this award. The Niners are likely NFC front-runners, too, making Bosa the most obvious choice on the board.
Jamal Adams (+3000)
I couldn't believe Adams' price when I first saw the oddsboard. The second-best defensive player in football has the 17th-best odds of winning this award? Granted, only three safeties have won in the last 25 years, but Adams lines up all over the field, as evidenced by his seven sacks and four passes broken up in 2019.
The narrative is on his side, too. After years of dominating with defense, the Seahawks were below average defensively in 2019. If Adams can restore the culture in Seattle and stuff the stat sheet, he'll be a favorite to cash at long odds.
Calais Campbell (+5000)
If you're looking for a real long shot, you could do worse than Campbell, who finished second in DPOY voting in 2017 and was voted the winner by some publications over Aaron Donald. Campbell's no one-hit wonder, though - he has made the Pro Bowl in five of the last six years and recorded at least six sacks in 10 of his 12 seasons, including a combined 31.5 sacks since 2017.
Now, Campbell joins a juggernaut Ravens team that should hold plenty of leads this year, giving the 33-year-old enough opportunities to boost his sack totals. As a pass-rusher on a winning team, Campbell is a stellar value to win this award.
(Odds source: theScore Bet)
C Jackson Cowart is a betting writer for theScore. He's an award-winning journalist with stops at The Charlotte Observer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Times Herald-Record, and BetChicago. He's also a proud graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill, and his love of sweet tea is rivaled only by that of a juicy prop bet. Find him on Twitter @CJacksonCowart.