NFL Coach of the Year Award Odds Update: Can Anyone Upset the Browns' Top Dog?

After the conclusion of each NFL regular season, the Associated Press hands out their annual awards. These coveted awards -- such as the Most Valuable Player, Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and more -- can often come down to battles between eye-popping stats and moving narratives. While some awards lean more towards the eye-popping stats side of the ledger, the Coach of the Year award can often be more narrative-focused, making it relatively unique among the other high-profile awards each year.

With the 2023 NFL season nearing its close, a serious frontrunner has emerged in the Coach of the Year award race. But will that frontrunner take the award home, or can an underdog usurp him over the final week of the season? Let's take a look at some of the biggest names in this year's race and their NFL Coach of the Year odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.

Coach of the Year Award Odds: Post-Week 17

Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns (-950)

This year's frontrunner is no stranger to the Coach of the Year award; Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski won the award back in 2020 for his efforts in taking the Browns all the way to the Divisional Round of the playoffs in his first year as their head coach. That playoff appearance snapped a 17-year playoff drought and brought the team their first playoff win since Bill Belichick was the head coach back in 1994.

His placement as the frontrunner in this year's race is well-deserved on its own merits. Despite dealing with injuries to the team's expected starting quarterback -- for whom the team traded a boatload of high-value draft picks -- and working down to their fourth starting quarterback of the season, Stefanski has helped steer the Browns' ship to an 11-5 record and a second-place finish in the brutal AFC North.

Now, with a resurgent Joe Flacco -- who has the second-strongest odds (+105) to win the Comeback Player of the Year award -- the Browns are poised to make a legitimate run through the playoffs. It makes Stefanski's case for the award a near bulletproof one; most teams crumble after their starting quarterback gets injured, but this Browns squad has gotten better in the face of their adversity.

Stefanski's 2023 campaign resembles Mike Vrabel's 2021 Coach of the Year-winning season, in which his Tennessee Titans overcame the mid-season loss of their MVP-caliber running back (Derrick Henry) to go on and win the AFC's top seed outright. That means there's precedent for narratives like Stefanski's taking home the title at the end of the season.

Other coaches have strong cases, as well, but at this point it seems as though the award is Stefanski's to lose.

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans (+900)

Perhaps if the Browns had only churned through one or two starting quarterbacks, we would be talking about Houston Texans first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans as the frontrunner for the 2023 Coach of the Year award. Even with Stefanski running away with the award, though, Ryans' case is stronger than you might think based on the odds alone.

Four of the last six winners of the Coach of the Year award had resumes like Ryans'. Each of those winners -- including Stefanski in his 2020 campaign -- took underdog teams to the playoffs in their first seasons as head coaches. Entering the 2023 season, the Texans were tied for the longest Super Bowl odds and were expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. Now, as we head into Week 18, the 9-7 Texans are one win away from securing a playoff spot and could even finish at the top of their division.

Ryans has demonstrably turned around what had been one of the worst teams in the NFL over the last three years. The Texans, who tied for the 2nd-fewest points scored and 6th-most points allowed just a season ago, have scored the 14th-most points and allowed the 13th-fewest points on defense in 2023. Ryans' success has been tethered to the successes of first-round picks C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., whose rookie campaigns so far have them with solid odds to win the Offensive (-850) and Defensive (+330) Rookie of the Year awards, respectively.

While Stefanski's case for the award won't change much in the final week of the season, Ryans still has much to potentially gain this coming weekend. Ryans could gain on Stefanski's perceived lead if the Texans take the AFC South title with a victory over the Colts. That kind of finish to his debut season as a head coach would put Ryans' resume at least on par with Brian Daboll's resume from his surprising 2022 Coach of the Year-winning campaign with the New York Giants.

The Best of the Rest

Stefanski and Ryans should have a leg up on the rest of this year's competition, but there are still some noteworthy names (and bets) worth considering.

Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen's (+1000) case for the award has shades of both Stefanski's and Ryans' arguments. The Colts will battle Ryans' Texans for a playoff spot and a possible AFC South division title in Week 18, taking an underdog team far past most peoples' expectations in his first season as the coach. And, like Stefanksi's Browns, the Colts have made it this far despite losing starting quarterback Anthony Richardson partway through the season. However, Steichen's case could suffer due to those same similarities; the Colts haven't had to overcome quite as many quarterback issues as the Browns and have been less successful than Cleveland overall -- plus the team was starting the season with higher expectations than anyone had for the Texans. That could make it difficult for Steichen to shine relative to his peers.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell (+1900) could be worthy of the award as well for helping lead Detroit to their first NFC North title since 1993. In addition to finding on-field success and helping to turn around a franchise that had been mired in failure for decades, Campbell has gained popularity for his passionate press conferences and rapport with his players. Campbell's 11-5 Lions can still technically win the top seed in the NFC if things break right in Week 18, which would certainly bolster his potential argument for the Coach of the Year award, but both his current +1900 odds to win that award, plus the Lions' fourth-best +850 odds to win the NFC illustrate how much of a hurdle he might still have to overcome to properly throw his hat into the ring.

Finally, Jim Harbaugh's case and +2200 odds are an extension of the Baltimore Ravens' league-best 13-3 record. Harbaugh previously won the Coach of the Year award in 2019 alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson's MVP-winning season. Even with Jackson (-20000) running away with the 2023 MVP race, though, Harbaugh still feels like a longshot compared to some of his other peers. However, the AP has often voted in favor of coaches whose teams yielded similarly-impressive records, so Harbaugh can't be fully counted out of this year's Coach of the Year award race.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.