Over the years, the NFL Coach of the Year award has typically been awarded to a coach whose team over-performs compared to its preseason expectations or past results.
In other words, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski might fit the bill.
That much was reflected on Tuesday, when SportsBetting.ag released its first odds for the 2020 edition of the award. Joining two other coaches, Stefanski possesses the fifth-best odds to win the award at 18-1, trailing co-favorites Bill Belichick and Bruce Arians, who each possess 12-1 odds.
The full list of 2020 Coach of the Year odds, per SportsBetting.ag, are as follows:
- Bill Belichick 12/1
- Bruce Arians 12/1
- Mike McCarthy 14/1
- Frank Reich 16/1
- Andy Reid 18/1
- Kevin Stefanski 18/1
- Kliff Kingsbury 18/1
- Sean McDermott 18/1
- Kyle Shanahan 20/1
- Mike Vrabel 22/1
- Brian Flores 25/1
- Doug Pederson 25/1
- John Harbaugh 25/1
- Sean Peyton 25/1
- Vic Fangio 25/1
- Mike Tomlin 28/1
- Mike Zimmer 28/1
- Pete Carroll 28/1
- Anthony Lynn 30/1
- Dan Quinn 30/1
- Matt LaFleur 30/1
- Matt Nagy 30/1
- Sean McVay 30/1
- Matt Patricia 33/1
- Matt Rhule 33/1
- Zak Taylor 33/1
- Joe Judge 40/1
- Jon Gruden 40/1
- Ron Rivera 40/1
- Adam Gase 50/1
- Bill O’Brien 50/1
- Doug Marrone 50/1
Considering the talent on the Browns' roster -- and the team's 17-year playoff drought -- Stefanski might not be a bad value bet. With Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham Jr. Jarvis Landry, Austin Hooper, Kareem Hunt, Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward in the fold, it's not inconceivable to think Cleveland could make the postseason -- especially in the first year of the league's expanded format.
Of course, it was just one year ago that similar expectations were placed on Freddie Kitchens, who was fired after amassing a 6-10 record in his first and only season as the Browns head coach. Kitchens, for what's worth, entered 2019 with the second-best odds to win Coach of the Year at 11-1.