Jamie Collins Listed as a Top 4 DPOY Candidate, Devin McCourty Finally Given Odds

• Patriots’ linebacker Jamie Collins has inserted himself into the top 4 of the NFL DPOY odds
• Patriots’ cornerback Devin McCourty make his debut in the odds at +2000, right behind fellow Patriot Stephon Gilmore
• New England’s defense leads the NFL with 3 players in the top 10 of the NFL DPOY odds

As one of the stars on the league’s best defense, Jamie Collins has become one of the favorites to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. He isn’t the only member of the Patriot defense gaining individual recognition, however. Cornerback Devin McCourty now has a spot in the NFL DPOY odds as well.

 2019 Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Odds taken Oct. 23

Devin McCourty’s Odds Debut

McCourty was nowhere to be found in these odds before this week, but like Collins, he has been a primary piece on the best defense in the NFL.

During the shutout victory over the Jets on Monday Night, with Collins providing the pressure, McCourty intercepted his 5th pass of the season. He’s reached that mark in 7 games, and he has been established as the leader of the Patriots’ secondary.

https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1186442447813038080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

However, when it comes to the DPOY, McCourty remains a long shot. He has two other teammates to contend with in Collins and Stephon Gilmore, and they both have better odds than him. Also, in a league that is obsessed with pass rushers, it’ll take a historic season for someone in the secondary to take this award.

Can Collins Crash the Party?

Collins inserted himself into the DPOY odds after the Patriots Week 5 win over Washington. At the time, he had completed a stretch of 3 games in which he had 4 sacks, 15 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and an interception and a forced fumble.

He’s quieted down a bit recently, with just 4 tackles and a forced fumble in the last 2 games.

Jamie Collins makes at least one freaky athletic play a week. #Patriots pic.twitter.com/mxroJrsHCA

— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) October 16, 2019

He is a versatile linebacker that can contribute in every area of the game. However, with the aforementioned emphasis on edge players and the pass rush around the league, Collins still lags behind straight edge rusher and linemen like Khalil Mack, Aaron Donald, and Myles Garrett in the odds.

That doesn’t mean that the linebacker has no shot. He’s got 4.5 sacks through seven games, which puts him on pace for a double-digit total. Collins also has more total tackles (31) than Mack (23), Donald (22), and Garrett (20), as well as an advantage in the interception category.

If he can get to the quarterback more often, which he has done at points earlier in the year, he has a really good shot at taking home this award.