The last time the Dallas Cowboys took home performance-based awards was at the 2017 NFL Honors, where Dak Prescott won Offensive Rookie of the Year, and Jason Garrett was crowned Coach of the Year.
Time flies when you’re failing to make the NFC Championship game, I suppose.
Anyway, it has been quite some time since Dallas won some hardware for on-field performance, and while that’s not always an indicator of success, it very likely means you at least made the postseason; that’s also something the Cowboys haven’t done in a bit.
Is this the year that they get back to making acceptance speeches at the league’s award show? The betting odds will tell you it’s not likely, with one main exception.
Here, I’ll go over the highest Dallas Cowboys award-winning odds (via FanDuel) as we head toward the 2026 campaign.
1. Caleb Downs +850 To Win Defensive Rookie of the Year
There is a clear answer to the top spot, as I mentioned: it’s former Ohio State star Caleb Downs to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Sitting at +850, Downs’s odds may seem high, but he sits behind only two others (Rueben Bain +500 and David Bailey +500) for the best odds at the award at this point in the year.
Not to mention, the guy is a defensive back. Versatile as any out there, yes, but still, a DB winning the award is somewhat rare. The only three to win it in the 2000s were cornerbacks Marcus Peters, Marshon Lattimore, and Sauce Gardner.
To find a safety that won DROY, you have to go all the way back to 1990 when Malik Carrier, a Bears great, took it home.
Downs, however, with that aforementioned versatility and elite football talent, has as good a chance as anybody to win the award this coming season.
2. Dak Prescott +1300 To Win Most Valuable Player
The second-highest odds for a Cowboy award-winner are with Prescott, a former MVP runner-up, to be crowned the Most Valuable Player in 2026.
They compete for the first time Sunday in Week 3.
Prescott said he first met Jackson when hosting him on a recruiting visit to Mississippi State. Jackson went to Louisville.
At +1300, Prescott actually has the best odds of any player in the entire NFC; he sits behind Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Drake Maye, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes. Guys like Matthew Stafford, Jordan Love, and Caleb Williams come in right behind him.
Even for the biggest Prescott doubters, you can’t deny his ability to put up ridiculous numbers, and he’s got quite the supporting cast around him this season.
If we see a major improvement defensively, and Dallas improves their record toward the 12+ win range, I’m willing to bet you will at least see another top-three finish from Dak for the league’s highest award.
3. Brian Schottenheimer +1800 To Win Coach of the Year
The third-highest odds come with now second-year Head Coach Brian Schottenheimer to win the Coach of the Year award; he would be the third Cowboy HC to win it, following Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, and the previously mentioned Garrett.
“Schotty” won the fanbase over last year with his energy, honesty, and clear dedication to changing the culture here.
“Super Bowl LXI. February 14, 2027. That’s where we plan on being.”
(via @jonmachota)
The historically bad defense held him back from the winning record needed to compete for this award, but that sets him up even better to compete for it this year.
This is almost always won by a coach who improved the team’s record from the previous season, and with all the roster additions we’ve seen, it is hard to argue that Dallas isn’t at least a contender to do just that.
He is behind some heavy hitters in the odds, most notably John Harbaugh of the Giants, Robert Saleh of the Titans, and Kevin Stefanski of the Falcons.
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