Bettors at Caesars are bullish on the Eagles as NFL preseason wraps

When the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2018, they made a lot of pre-season bettors happy.

Entering the 2017-18 campaign, the Eagles were 40/1 to hoist the Lombardi Trophy and their over/under for wins that season was set at 8.5. Of course, they won 13 games and went on to — rather improbably — win the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback.

Earlier this offseason, the Eagles’ odds of winning the Super Bowl in 2023 was, again, 40/1. But the Birds have become bettors’ darlings, especially at Caesars, where they’re now just 25/1 to win the Super Bowl.

It’s not just Super Bowl futures where the Eagles are seeing some action. According to Caesars, the Eagles were once +330 to win the NFC East, with favorite Dallas at -150. Now, Dallas is +130 and the Eagles are right on their tails at +155.

Further, Caesars says the Eagles trail only the Saints when it comes to action on making the playoffs. “No” on the Eagles to make the playoffs was once favored at -130. Now, “yes” is all the way up to -160. According to Caesars, 88.1% of the tickets and 98.9% of the handle are on “yes.”

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The Eagles are coming off a playoff appearance last season, though they set a rather dubious record in the process, carrying the worst record (1-7) vs. teams .500 or better to the playoffs in league history.

Despite making the postseason, the Eagles really struggled defensively, a reality that was evident in their 31-15 defeat in Tampa (it was 31-0 at one point). They rarely got after opposing quarterbacks, gave up the highest completion percentage in the NFL and too often couldn’t get off the field on third downs.

» READ MORE: Full Inquirer coverage of the Eagles as roster cuts loom

So, why are bettors so high on Philadelphia? It starts with that defense.

The draft weekend additions of defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean, both from Georgia, combined with free agent signees Haason Reddick, Kyzir White and James Bradberry have bettors and NFL experts alike thinking Jonathan Gannon’s unit will bounce back in 2022-23.

Bettors are especially high on Dean, who was tagged with a first-round grade but worried some NFL teams with his laundry list of injuries. The third round pick opened at 25/1 to win Defensive Rookie of the Year but Caesars, which is expected to launch its Pennsylvania app in time for the NFL season, now has him at 18/1, and 19.5% of the handle on the DROY is on Dean. Davis, meanwhile, is 16/1 to win the award.

» READ MORE: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year odds, pick

On the other side of the ball, there’s hope that quarterback Jalen Hurts gets a big boost from what may become his new favorite target in receiver A.J. Brown.

Like the Eagles in general, Hurts has seen his stock rise among bettors. He was once 40/1 to win MVP at Caesars and is now 30/1. One Caesars bettor in Indiana got $1,000 down at the 40/1 odds and will be quite a happy camper if Hurts manages to do the improbable and win the award.

Similarly, a Caesars bettor in Nevada has $1,000 at 25/1 on Nick Sirianni to win Coach of the Year. The coach is now 18/1 to win the award.

Like 2018 showed, crazier things — with longer odds — have happened.

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