Xavien Howard Deserves Better Defensive Player of the Year Odds

Miami Dolphins star cornerback Xavien Howard has taken his game to the next level this season, helping his team have the best secondary in the NFL. Howard's career year has him in contention for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award.

However, at +600, according to a FanDuel Sportsbook prop bet, Howard only has the fourth-best odds to win DPOY, which doesn't reflect his truly special season.

Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald (-180) is the clear favorite to win the award, followed by TJ Watt (+490) and Myles Garrett (+500).

In Howard's fifth NFL season, the CB leads the league in interceptions with 9 and is tied for the league lead in pass deflections with 17. Howard's 9 INTs are the most in a season since 2015, which is an amazing feat and points to his talent of picking off opposing QBs. The fact he's putting up numbers that the league hasn't seen in five years speaks volumes about his DPOY candidacy.

The one thing going against Howard is that New England Patriots corner Stephon Gilmore won the award last season and this is usually an EDGE-focused honor. However, that shouldn't stop Howard from winning the award, as he's already outpaced Gilmore's 6 INTs from last year and is close to passing Gilmore's 20 pass deflections.

With three EDGE players in front of him, Howard looks like the odd corner out, but his numbers speak for themselves and should be recognized.

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