NFL futures, odds: Philadelphia Eagles' offseason hype is strong
Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles struggled out of the gate, opening the season with a 3-6 record through their first nine games. They then went on to win six of their next seven games, feasting on the likes of Teddy Bridgewater, Trevor Siemian, Daniel Jones, Zach Wilson, Mike Glennon and Taylor Heinicke. That run was enough to get them into the playoffs, where they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The questions surrounding the Eagles are obvious. Did they improve that much over the second half of the season? Or was it just a Charmin-soft schedule that they took advantage of? It's likely a combination of both, but that question will be answered this upcoming season. The biggest question for the Eagles entering the season might just be how good Jalen Hurts can be. He's shown flashes of game changing ability and he's improved as his career has progressed. However, not everyone is sold on the former Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback.
Over the offseason, the Eagles made plenty of moves to ensure they can continue building on their impressive second half and surround their young quarterback with talent. They traded for A.J. Brown, signed James Bradberry, Haason Reddick, Kyzir White and Zach Pascal and drafted Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens and Nakobe Dean. Most have graded the Eagles as one of the winners of the offseason.
It should come as no surprise that the hype around the Eagles this offseason is high. They finished the season on a tear and added some big names. Yahoo's Frank Schwab ranked the Eagles 13th in his preseason power rankings. It's a respectable ranking, but the betting market might be even higher on the Eagles than Frank.
Eagles projected to compete for NFC East
After winning nine games last season, oddsmakers are projecting an even better season for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. Their current win total at BetMGM is set at 9.5 wins. That's the same projected win total as last year's AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals.
Despite the high win total, it's not stopping bettors from backing the Eagles in droves. At BetMGM, 90% of the bets and 96% of the money is backing Philadelphia to go over 9.5 wins. It's worth noting that earlier in the offseason, the Eagles' win total was 8.5 wins before the massive amount of action caused oddsmakers to raise that number.
After making the playoffs last season, the Eagles are -160 favorites to return to the postseason this upcoming season. Those odds suggest Philadelphia makes the playoffs nearly 62% of the time. While it's a good probability, it's far from a sure thing.
The easiest path to making the playoffs for the Eagles would be to win the NFC East. Philadelphia is currently +165 to win the division, the second best odds, just behind the Dallas Cowboys who are +135. Earlier in the offseason, Philadelphia was +300 to win the division but a combination of betting action, transactions and offseason hype has moved those odds by quite a bit.
While they might not be the betting favorites to win the division, bettors are certainly challenging that notion. A vast majority of the betting action is backing Philadelphia to win the NFC East. In total, 62% of bets and 71% of the money is backing the Eagles to win the division. They are one of the more popular bets to win their division in the league. They are -225 favorites to finish top-two in the division.
If the Eagles can't win the division, they are +230 to be a wild card team. If you're really feeling a big year from the Eagles, you can bet them at 16-to-1 to be the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC. Those are the eighth best odds, behind the Minnesota Vikings and just ahead of the New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders.
Philadelphia's Super Bowl prospects
The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2022 NFL season with 25-to-1 odds to win the Super Bowl. Those odds are tied for 13th best in football with the Indianapolis Colts. They're just behind the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens. The trio of AFC North teams are all 20-to-1. Philadelphia is just ahead of Arizona and Tennessee, who are both 30-to-1 to win the Super Bowl.
At those odds, it's suggested that Philadelphia is smack-dab in the middle of a group of teams that should compete for the playoffs and has the potential to make a run in the playoffs if things break their way.
In terms of the Eagles' prospects to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, the Eagles are 12-to-1 to win the conference. Those are the sixth best odds, just behind Dallas and just ahead of Arizona.
Eagles player awards and props
There's plenty of talent on this Eagles roster. Which are some of the betting odds surrounding guys like Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown and Haason Reddick?
Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts is currently 25-to-1 to win NFL MVP, which ties him for the 12th best odds in all of football with Raiders' quarterback Derek Carr. Hurts is currently the fifth most popular bet to win the award, trailing only Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Tom Brady and Justin Herbert in terms of quantity of bets. That's some pretty elite company. Hurts was 50-to-1 to win MVP earlier in the offseason, but those odds have been sliced in half over the course of the summer.
While Hurts is a popular darkhorse MVP choice, he's not expected to do tremendous damage with his arm. He's 50-to-1 to lead the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He's surrounded by quarterbacks like Davis Mills, Marcus Mariota, Daniel Jones and Mac Jones on those odds listings.
Hurts' value comes from the fact he's a dual-threat. His over/under for passing yards is set at 3599.5 yards. He had just 3144 yards last season. He did miss two games, but even his 17 game pace fell below this number. The acquisition of A.J. Brown is expected to make an impact. His over/under for passing touchdowns is set at 22.5 tosses. He had just 16 last season.
You can bet over/under 699.5 rushing yards on Hurts as well. He's one of the most mobile and dangerous running quarterbacks in the league. Hurts rushed for 784 yards over 15 games last year. Over 17 games, that's 889 rushing yards. His over/under for rushing touchdowns is set at 8.5 scores. He had 10 last year.
A.J. Brown
The Eagles' acquisition of A.J. Brown was one of the bigger non-quarterback moves of this past offseason. He's expected to make an immediate impact for Philadelphia. The former Titans' receiver is 20-to-1 to lead the league in receiving yards in his first season with the Eagles. Those are the 11th best odds, just behind Mike Evans and just ahead of Mark Andrews. He's 30-to-1 to lead the league in touchdowns, tied for 12th best odds with players like Mike Williams and Deebo Samuel.
Brown is projected for over/under 70.5 receptions. He had 63 last season and has never eclipsed this mark. His over/under receiving yards number is set at 1024.5 yards. He went over this number in his first two seasons, but had just 869 yards over 13 games last year. If he played a full season, he likely would have gone over again. Brown's over/under for receiving touchdowns is set at 6.5 scores. He had just five last year, but averaged 9.5 over his first two seasons.
Rookie defenders
After drafting Jordan Davis in the first round, and then capitalizing on the fall of Nakobe Dean later in the draft, the Eagles now have two players who can compete for defensive rookie of the year. Despite being a later round pick, it's Dean who has the better odds. Nakobe Dean is 14-to-1 to win defensive rookie of the year. Those are the 10th best odds, just behind Devin Lloyd. Dean is the fourth most popular bet to win the award, trailing just Aidan Hutchinson, Sauce Gardner and Kayvon Thibodeaux. Davis is 16-to-1 to win the award, tied for the 11th best odds with Bills' cornerback Kaiir Elam.
Other Eagles players
Miles Sanders is 40-to-1 to lead the league in rushing, tied for 18th best odds with Josh Jacobs and Lamar Jackson. His over/under is set at 849.5 rushing yards. He had just 754 last year. He averages 813 yards per season over his three year career. His over/under for rushing touchdowns is set at 6.5 touchdowns. He had no rushing touchdowns last season and has just nine total in his career. He's been limited to just 12 games each of the last two seasons.
Devonta Smith is no longer the clear No. 1 option in Philadelphia with the acquisition of Brown. Smith's props for this upcoming season are set at 63.5 receptions, 874.5 receiving yards and 5.5 receiving touchdowns. He had 64 receptions, 916 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns in his rookie season. Smith is 80-to-1 to lead the league in receiving.
Haason Reddick is 25-to-1 to lead the league in sacks. Those are the 13th best odds, tied with Von Miller and Maxx Crosby. Reddick has 23.5 sacks over his last two seasons.
With Zach Ertz gone, Dallas Goedert is now the clear guy at tight end for Philadelphia. After posting a 56/830/4 line last season, Goedert's totals for this upcoming season are set at 60.5 receptions, 649.5 receiving yards and 4.5 receiving touchdowns.
Nick Sirriani is 16-to-1 to win NFL Coach of the year. Those are tied for the fourth best odds. Only Dan Campbell, Brian Daboll and Kevin O'Connell have better odds.
Eagles favorites on the road in Week 1
Two of the league's most popular teams this offseason have been the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions. Both teams improved greatly in the second half of last season, had solid drafts and made some good additions to their roster over the offseason. Bettors have loved both teams through the offseason.
The two teams will meet in Week 1, with the Eagles currently a 4.5-point road favorite against the Lions. These teams are coming from different places, with the Eagles coming off a playoff berth and the Lions coming off a three win season.
This line shows the respect the betting market has for the Eagles. Laying over a field goal on the road against a team that is expected to be much improved is no small number. It'll be fascinating to see which of these offseason darlings the public will back in Week 1. The Eagles opened as a 3.5-point favorite, but the number has moved over the course of the offseason. Will there be buy back on the Lions before we get to kickoff in a little over a month?
