2023 NFL Award Odds | Odds Shark

2023 NFL Defensive Player Of The Year Odds

Odds To Win 2023 NFL DPOY
Player Odds
Micah Parsons +115
Myles Garrett +155
TJ Watt +325
Danielle Hunter +1200
DaRon Bland +2800

Myles Garrett is quietly beasting his way through this season. In 14 games he’s forced four fumbles, earned 13 sacks, and racked up 27 solo tackles. He’s right there with Micah Parsons, and has a few games to overtake him, too.

I know this is an individual award, too. But, Garrett should get a bump in his DPoY chances as the Cleveland defense leads the league in yards against. The Browns allow just 261 yards per game against, 25 fewer than any other squad.

Best Bet: Myles Garrett (+155)

Last 10 Defensive Player of the Year Winners 

Last 10 DPOY Winners
Year Player Team Position
2022 Nick Bosa San Francisco 49ers DE
2021 T.J. Watt Pittsburgh Steelers LB
2020 Aaron Donald Los Angeles Rams DT
2019 Stephon Gilmore New England Patriots CB
2018 Aaron Donald Los Angeles Rams DT
2017 Aaron Donald Los Angeles Rams DT
2016 Khalil Mack Oakland Raiders* DE
2015 J.J. Watt Houston Texans DT
2014 J.J. Watt Houston Texans DT
2013 Luke Kuechly Carolina Panthers LB

*now the Las Vegas Raiders.

Our previous 10 DPOY winners have a few familiar faces… Donald and T.J. Watt make up 50% of this list! With Watt’s retirement in 2022, Donald can cement himself in legend as the first player to win the award four times.

These two players emphasize what goes into the award’s decision – an ongoing effort to be the best at their position and single-handedly derail games with a timely sack or stripped ball.

The AFC and NFC both contribute five players to this list, an even split of defensive excellence across the league.
 

Players that have won multiple Defensive Player of the Year awards

Multiple DPOY Award Winners
Player Awards Won Position Team Winning Seasons
Lawrence Taylor 3 Linebacker New York Giants 1981 – 1982, 1986
J.J. Watt 3 Defensive End Houston Texans 2012, 2014 – 2015
Aaron Donald 3 Defensive Tackle Los Angeles Rams 2017 – 2018, 2020
Joe Greene 2 Defensive Tackle Pittsburgh Steelers 1972, 1974
Mike Singletary 2 Linebacker Chicago Bears 1985, 1988
Bruce Smith 2 Defensive End Buffalo Bills 1990, 1996
Reggie Smith 2 Defensive End Philadelphia Eagles / Green Bay Packers 1987, 1998
Ray Lewis 2 Linebacker Baltimore Ravens 2000, 2003

Where only two running backs have won 3 awards for Offensive Player of the Year, the DPOY award boasts three stalwart defenders in Donald, Watt, and Taylor. All three of these players earned the award in back-to-back seasons.

For all their accolades, none of these players brought their team to a Super Bowl in the same year they won DPOY.
 

NFL Teams with the Most Defensive Player of the Year awards

NFL Teams with the most DPOY awards
Team Awards Won Most Recent DPOY Winner
Pittsburgh Steelers 8 OLB – T.J. Watt (2021)
Baltimore Ravens 4 OLB – Terrell Suggs (2011)
New York Giants 4 DE – Michael Strahan (2001)
Houston Texans 3 DE – J.J. Watt (2015)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 3 LB – Derrick Brooks (2002)
Buffalo Bills 3 DE – Bruce Smith (1996)
Miami Dolphins 3 DE – Jason Taylor (2006)
San Francisco 49ers 3 DE – Nick Bosa (2022)
Los Angeles Rams 3 DT – Aaron Donald (2020)
Chicago Bears 3 LB – Brian Urlacher (2005)

The Steelers don’t even make this close – their long-standing reputation as defensive juggernauts is well-earned, doubling the Ravens and Giants’ collection of DPOY award winners.

As of now, the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Washington Commanders remain without a single honouree for this award.
 

Schools that produced the most Defensive Player of the Year Winners

In the high-scoring environment of NCAA Football, colleges cherish their defensive playmakers. These schools helped multiple future NFL DPOY winners hone their skills and head into the league with the skill and confidence to shut down an offence.

Schools that produced the Most DPOY Winners
School Conference Amount of DPOY Winners Most Recent DPOY Winner
Miami (FL) ACC 5 Ed Reed (2004)
Pittsburgh ACC 3 Aaron Donald (2020)
Wisconsin Big 10 (West) 3 J.J. Watt (2015)
North Carolina ACC 3 Lawrence Taylor (1986)
Kent State MAC (East) 2 James Harrison (2008)
Florida State ACC 2 Derrick Brooks (2002)
Tennessee SEC (East) 2 Reggie White (1998)
Virginia Tech ACC 2 Bruce Smith (1996)
Baylor Big 12 2 Mike Singletary (1988)
Texas A&M SEC (West) 2 Lester Hayes (1980)
North Texas AAC 2 Joe Greene (1974)

Regarding conferences, the ACC boasts the most DPOY winners at 15, while the SEC trails behind with 4. Next time you want to wager on a futures bet, pay attention to the alma mater – the historical trend looks appealing here.

Defensive Player of the Year Betting Trends and Notes

Over time, we’ve begun to identify a few similarities between DPOY winners. These findings can help you analyze the current odds and predict next year’s winner. Although there isn’t an exact formula for what constitutes an award-winning season, here are a few helpful tidbits and fun facts to help you make a bet.

  • Four of the previous ten winners led the league in sacks during their DPOY season – Nick Bosa, Aaron Donald, and J.J. Watt (twice).
  • Out of the previous ten winners, Aaron Donald (2020) and J.J. Watt (2015) are the only two players to have favourited odds before the start of the season,
  • The four most recent DPOY winners represent the longest span the award has gone to a different player each year since J.J. Watt won his first award in 2012.
  • Players can still stand a chance at winning even if their team’s performance is subpar – four of the last eight winners played on a defense that was ranked lower than the top ten.