The NFL season is rapidly approaching! There are plenty of ways to get in on the action before the season kicks off at DraftKings Sportsbook. The futures market is vast and full of bets to be made on all the league’s teams and stars.
When it comes to defensive players, the Defensive Player of the Year is the biggest honor one can receive. Here is a look at the 2026 NFL Defensive Player of the Year odds.
2026 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Odds
The Defensive Player of the Year is the highest honor a defensive player can receive in the NFL. Technically, defensive players are eligible to win the NFL MVP, but it’s unlikely that it will ever happen again. Only two defensive players in NFL history have won the award, most recently Lawrence Taylor in 1986. The game has become so much more offensive that there will never be a season when an offensive player isn’t considered the most valuable player.
However, that is what makes the DPOY award so iconic for defensive players. The MVP is considered “the quarterback award,” and the OPOY is the “skill position award.” However, this award always goes to the single best defensive player in the NFL. It can be debated whether the MVP is the best player in the NFL and whether the OPOY is actually the best offensive player, but the DPOY will always go to the league’s best defensive player.
Pass rushers will always have an advantage when it comes to this award. Sacks are the flashiest number on defense, but players at all positions have won this award. Over the last six years, a defensive end, an outside linebacker, a defensive tackle and a cornerback have all won the award. The two positions that get a bit neglected in this award are inside linebacker and safety. Troy Polamalu is the last safety to win the award, with that honor coming in 2010. T.J. Watt is considered a linebacker, but his primary role is to rush the quarterback. Luke Kuechly was the last traditional linebacker to win the award, and that came in 2013.
Defensive Player of the Year Contenders
The favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year is reigning DPOY winner Myles Garrett. Garrett had a historic 2025-26 season, setting the new single-season sack record and becoming one of nine players in history to win multiple DPOYs. Garrett is the only active player to win the award multiple times (unless Aaron Donald tries to make his return). If he wins it again, he will join Donald, Lawrence Taylor and J.J. Watt as the only players in history to win the award three times. The interesting wrinkle is that now Garrett is on a new defense, having moved to the Rams this offseason.
The three primary challengers to Garrett’s throne are Will Anderson Jr., Aidan Hutchinson and Maxx Crosby. Anderson is a player on the rise, establishing himself as one of the great players in the NFL last year in his third season in the league. Crosby and Hutchinson have both been among the elite pass-rushers in the league over the past few years but have yet to win this award.
There are four other players with odds of 20/1 or better. Two of those players are former DPOY winners, T.J. Watt and Nick Bosa. Nik Bonito and Brian Burns round out that list of top contenders for the award.
The first 11 players on the odds board are all primarily pass rushers, either defensive ends or outside linebackers. The first player on the board that breaks that trend is Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter, with odds of 28/1. Following him are linebacker Fred Warner and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, all looking to win the award despite not being pass rushers.
