2026 NFL DPOY Odds: Defensive Player of the Year Betting
Eight different players have won Defensive Player of the Year over the past decade, and roughly half came from defenses that finished outside the league’s top 10 — proof of how little team record matters to voters, and why the market struggles to price this award.
Myles Garrett opens as the favorite again, chasing his third career honor and second straight, but his price has tightened since the offseason move to a new defense in Los Angeles.
This page covers the current NFL DPOY 2026 odds, the top contenders, positional history, and betting tips for finding longshot value before the board firms up.
Current NFL DPOY Odds 2026
BetNow updates this board through the offseason and across the full season, so the numbers below shift as camps open, depth charts settle, and games get played. Garrett opens as the favorite after his move to the Rams, but the NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds rarely stay locked around one name in the offseason — pass rushers tend to bunch together before kickoff, and the board only separates once real tape is on film.
2026 NFL DPOY Contenders
Five names dominate this year’s NFL DPOY contenders 2026 conversation, each with a built-in reason the bet could miss. Defensive awards tend to move with less predictability than the NFL OPOY odds, so the risk factor matters as much as the case for each player.
Myles Garrett
Garrett comes off a record-setting 2025 season and a trade that sent him from Cleveland to the Rams, pairing him with a defense already stocked with Pro Bowl-caliber pieces. Eight straight seasons of double-digit sacks make a third DPOY in four years an easy case to build, and it’s why he tops the NFL DPOY odds as the favorite. However, the move is historically rare: no reigning DPOY has switched teams the following year in nearly three decades. His talent justifies the price, but expect his odds to soften once system fit questions surface in camp.
Will Anderson Jr.
Anderson finished as runner-up last year and has posted back-to-back double-digit sack seasons for a competitive Houston defense, so continuity is the whole case here. A hot start could put him at the front of the line if Garrett’s transition stalls early. Finishing second rarely carries forward, though — voters tend to reward a new face over the same name moving up one spot. He’s a sound top-three pick on the merits, just not the value play at his current price.
Micah Parsons
Parsons finished third in voting for the NFL DPOY 2026 market during his first season with Green Bay, but a torn ACL and meniscus injury ended that campaign in Week 15. He’s now adjusting to new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s system while rehabbing, with an expected return from the PUP list in late October. There is no betting case here — a player missing that much time isn’t a live ticket, regardless of talent.
Nik Bonitto
Bonitto quietly finished fourth in last year’s voting for a disruptive Denver defense, without the name recognition of any player ranked above him — and that’s exactly the profile that has produced DPOY winners before, since voters tend to favor a fresher story over a repeat name once the production gets close. Fourth place still leaves a real gap to close, though. He belongs in the portfolio as a longer-odds piece worth a small stake, not as anyone’s centerpiece bet.
Maxx Crosby
Crosby has been one of the league’s steadiest pass rushers for years, yet production without a signature standout season has kept him outside the DPOY favorites so far. His 2026 case depends largely on whatever talent the Raiders build around him, especially after offseason trade speculation around him never materialized. Voters have rewarded a statistical peak over sustained quality in this market for a long time. He’s worth a flier at long odds, but he reads as more lottery ticket than core pick.
Our NFL DPOY Pick for 2026
Picking who will win NFL DPOY 2026 only means something if it points somewhere specific, and the choice here is Brian Burns of the Giants. Burns finished last season with the second-most sacks in the league, trailing only Garrett, while lining up alongside a deep and talented Giants front that should keep blockers from settling on him as the lone threat.
Burns checks every box on the longshot list — a unit good enough to draw attention, the most recognizable name on that side of the ball, no prior DPOY win pulling voters toward a “given his due” narrative. Where this breaks down: if his pressure numbers stop converting to sacks, or the Giants’ front simply isn’t good enough as a unit, voters will look elsewhere.
NFL DPOY History & Positional Analysis
Sack totals and trade rumors drive most DPOY conversation, but the history of past NFL DPOY winners breaks down by position in ways that don’t always match who’s getting the buzz.
Which Positions Win NFL DPOY?
Linebackers lead all positions in wins since the 1970s, but that tally leans on edge-rushing 3-4 outside linebackers like T.J. Watt — among off-the-ball inside linebackers specifically, Luke Kuechly in 2013 is still the last winner.
Defensive ends and true edge rushers have taken over most recent wins regardless, simply because voters weigh sack totals so heavily. Defensive tackles hold a notable share too, mostly from one Aaron Donald stretch.
Cornerbacks have broken through twice in the last decade, both in seasons without a standout pass rusher, and safeties haven’t won since well before 2010. The safest lean against this history: an edge rusher on a playoff-caliber defense with a strong sack pace.
The Unpredictability Pattern
Outside of two extended runs — one from Aaron Donald, one from J.J. Watt — DPOY tends to go to players who didn’t open the season as the favorite. Roughly half of the last ten winners played for defenses ranked outside the league’s top 10, a gap that doesn’t show up in NFL MVP odds voting, where team success carries far more weight. That volatility is why NFL defensive player of the year predictions rarely survive past midseason, since an injury to the favorite or a slow start from a contending defense can flip the whole board within weeks.
Recent NFL DPOY Winners
The last several years have rewarded both star power and surprise — the most recent cornerback NFL DPOY winners both broke through in seasons when no single pass rusher pulled away from the field, a pattern worth watching whenever the sack race stays bunched deep into the year.
How the NFL DPOY Is Decided
The same 50 AP sportswriters and broadcasters who vote on NFL MVP decide Defensive Player of the Year too, using a ranked-choice format rather than a single pick. The winner is announced at NFL Honors on the Thursday before the Super Bowl alongside the rest of the NFL awards odds market.
That ceremony also settles the OROY NFL odds on both sides of the ball, though DPOY voting follows its own logic — team success carries noticeably less weight here than for its offensive counterpart, and recent NFL DPOY predictions have leaned on that gap more than win totals.
NFL DPOY Betting Tips
Get in early, before the narrative forms. DPOY is the award where early longshot bets carry the most value, since the board typically separates by midseason once one or two players have built enough buzz to move their price. Betting before that happens usually means a better number on the same player.
Use the longshot criteria. Look for a player on a defense talented enough to draw attention, the most recognizable name on that unit, and no prior win — voters consistently prefer fresh stories over repeats, and all three traits matter before committing to a price deep into NFL DPOY longshot picks territory.
Be cautious fading or backing a reigning winner. Retaining the crown is historically brutal. Outside of rare stretches of era-defining dominance from J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald, voters almost always lean toward a fresh narrative the following season.
Watch for cornerback value if no pass rusher separates. Both recent cornerback winners broke through in seasons without a runaway sack leader, so if no edge rusher has pulled clear by October, shift attention toward elite corners priced well off the top tier, where the DPOY betting odds tend to hold more value.
Bet on the 2026 NFL DPOY at BetNow
BetNow keeps its NFL DPOY betting markets open and updated throughout the season. The same logic applies across the rest of the NFL betting board, where early value tends to disappear once the season’s storylines take shape.
Given how often this award rewards an early longshot over the favorite, locking in a price before the field narrows is usually smarter than waiting.
Create your BetNow account and place your bet on NFL DPOY today.
FAQ
Who is the favorite to win the 2026 NFL DPOY?
Myles Garrett, looking for his third career DPOY and second in a row after a trade that sent him to the Rams. His price has tightened since the offseason began, though a new defensive system brings more uncertainty than his talent alone would suggest.
Is the NFL DPOY always won by a pass rusher?
Not always, but pass rushers have taken most recent awards. Cornerbacks and even safeties have broken through in past seasons, usually when no dominant edge rusher separated from the field that year.
Can a player from a losing team win NFL DPOY?
Yes, and fairly often. Team success matters far less here than it does for MVP, and a notable share of recent winners played on defenses that didn’t rank among the league’s best units that season.
When does the NFL DPOY award market open?
Shortly after the Super Bowl, typically, with the board updating throughout free agency, the draft, and the rest of the offseason as rosters and coaching staffs take shape.
Can I parlay NFL DPOY with other award bets?
Yes, award futures may be available in a parlay sometimes, but availability can vary by operator. If you want to back up multiple award favorites, it’s best to place them as separate, single wagers.