The NFL offseason is still very young. The draft is still a month away, and free agency is still a couple of weeks away, but it isn’t too early to start looking at NFL Futures betting. Looking at the NFC East, where it appears to be a two-team division with two rebuilding teams.
Despite being early, we look at the futures odds to win the AFC North.
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday, March 6 at 1:15 p.m. ET.
2020 NFC East odds: Dallas Cowboys (+110)
The Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites to win the division and are almost even money. Dallas was viewed as the more talented team in 2019 that simply under-performed, leading to the Eagles’ division win. They are one of three teams in the division with a new coach, as Mike McCarthy replaces Jason Garrett. Dallas’ offseason is focused on a pair of players — QB Dak Prescott and WR Amari Cooper. Both will be free agents. They still have a talented offensive line and arguably the best running back in the NFL in RB Ezekiel Elliott. They could lose CB Byron Jones in free agency and will likely have to address the tight end position. Offense wasn’t the problem, as they were tops in the league in yards gained and in the top five in scoring. No matter what happens in the offseason, Dallas should be in the mix to win the division. However, despite McCarthy’s track record in the league and having the same odds as the Eagles, it does take time to adjust to a new offensive and defensive system. They are a good bet but not a slam dunk by any means.
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2020 NFC East odds: Philadelphia Eagles (+110)
The Eagles have the most stability in the division. They are the only team in the East to have their head coach return, and QB Carson Wentz returns as the starter. Questions remain about whether he is the long-term answer at the position after injuries derailed a promising trajectory. They were ravaged by injuries in 2019, especially at receiver and were middle-of-the-pack both offensively and defensively. They are expected to bolster the offense at receiver to give Wentz more than just a tight end and running backs to throw the ball to. They struggled in the defensive secondary. That will be an area of focus.
However, Doug Pederson is the one coach who remains in the division from 2019, and he has taken the Eagles to the playoffs each of the last three seasons with a Super Bowl title. As such, they make the smart play to win the division.
2020 NFC East odds: New York Giants (+900)
The Giants have a new head coach in Joe Judge and rebuild with young talents on offense, led by QB Daniel Jones, RB Saquon Barkley and WR Sterling Shepard. With the fourth pick in the draft, they can give Jones more protection or add a defensive playmaker. After all, it was the defense that was the problem all season.
The Giants’ long odds are reflective of what it would take for the Giants to take a big leap from being a four-win team to a division winner. With better protection, Jones and Barkley can lead an offensive improvement and, with the right defenders being added, they make for an unlikely division winner, especially with a rookie head coach.
They are not a good bet.
2020 NFC East odds: Washington Redskins (+1200)
Washington cleaned out the front office and fired Jay Gruden. They replaced him with Ron Rivera as head coach, but they are truly rebuilding. They find themselves in a similar situation as the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. They have a second-year quarterback whose rookie season was far from impressive. They have a high draft pick and new coach. The Cardinals made strides with rookie QB Kyler Murray but still only won five games.
QB Dwayne Haskins should not be expected to improve the way Lamar Jackson or Patrick Mahomes did between their first and second years, and if the Redskins move on from him and draft a quarterback like Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert, he won’t likely play at the level that Murray did as a rookie.
Essentially, while 12:1 odds does offer an intriguing payout, it would basically be throwing money away.
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