Jaelan Phillips, Jaycee Horn, Face Inaccurately Long Odds of DPOY

While the NFL season is still 104 days away, fans can bet on any award, whether it's NFL MVP, Offensive Rookie of the Year, or even Defensive Player of the Year, which was won by Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns in 2025.

On FanDuel Sportsbook, Garrett, of course, is the favorite once again, sitting at +600 odds to repeat. As far as the Carolina Panthers go, the offseason was spent revamping the defense, spending big on guys like Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd, while still having elite talent like Derrick Brown on the defensive line and Jaycee Horn leading the secondary.

Despite having elite talent on all three levels of the defense now, the sportsbooks aren't showing any love to the Panthers when it comes to the DPOY odds.

Jaelan Phillips and Jaycee Horn's Odds for DPOY

Jaelan Phillips and Jaycee Horn should be the focal points of this defense, the guys who can post the most eye-popping stats, such as sacks and interceptions. As of right now, Jaycee Horn is the 34th player listed on Fanduel Sportsbook for Defensive Player of the Year, listed at +8000 odds to win the AO DPOY award.

Jaycee Horn and Jaelan Phillips DPOY odds entering this season#Keeppounding pic.twitter.com/EnLo4xIHjI
— Preston Palm (@PalmTalksSports) May 29, 2026

Not far below Jaycee Horn is edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, the Panthers' biggest acquisition of this offseason and a player who can generate pressure with the best of the league, but still hasn't had the 10+ sack season that many think hes capable of. Phillips currently sits at +10000 to win the DPOY award at the end of the 2026 season.

Phillips does have some concerns behind him, for sure, whether it's injury concerns given his lengthy history of season-ending injuries, or just not reaching the 10-sack mark in his career yet. Phillips should still be a little higher because of his pressure rate, which ranked fourth in the league last season, ahead of guys like Myles Garrett and Aidan Hutchinson.

High ✋ pic.twitter.com/mrQrPISmsR
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 27, 2026

Nevertheless, Phillips won't win the DPOY off pressures, so while he should be a little higher, it's not nearly as disrespectful as where Jaycee Horn is.

Jaycee Horn Should be Much Higher

Jaycee Horn after an interception — Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) celebrates after catching an interception during a game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium, Oct 19, 2025, East Rutherford, NJ, USA. | Yannick Peterhans / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jaycee Horn was tied for the second most interceptions in the NFL last year with 5, and is widely regarded as a top 10, if not top five, corner in all of Football. Horn is listed under guys who have no business having better odds than him, guys like Travis Hunter, who had zero interceptions last year, and as good as Cooper DeJean is, Jaycee Horn has played at a higher level for much longer.

There are plenty of other names that Jaycee Horn could be above, but the reality is that the premier edge rushers are always going to get the best odds, which is completely fair. Jaycee Horn will have to submit the best season if his career for a real chance at the DPOY.

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