Chicago Bears: Assessing 2019 NFL Rookie of the Year odds

The Bottom 5

Will Grier, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers: 50/1

I suppose, in the event of a Cam Newton injury, the next man up would have a chance at some success. The likelihood of Will Grier winning the award is obviously not high, but a Newton injury isn’t out of the question.

Irv Smith, Tight End, Minnesota Vikings: 33/1

Did the drafting of Irv Smith signal the end of the Kyle Rudolph era in Minnesota? Not to say that Rudolph will be dumped, but Smith might end up being the primary target at tight end going forward.

Darrell Henderson, Running Back, Los Angeles Rams: 33/1

This one is intriguing. There is definitely reason to be cautious with the health of Toddy Gurley, and the Rams spent high draft capital in drafting Darrell Henderson. If Gurley should suffer a setback, Henderson might end up running away with the award.

Damien Harris, Running Back, New England Patriots: 33/1

I’m not so sure I buy into Damien Harris even being on this list to begin with, but he was one of the higher-drafted offensive players, so it makes sense in that regard. The Patriots use so many backs on a regular basis, so the odds of a single New England running back winning such an honor aren’t good.

JJ Arcega-Whiteside, Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles: 25/1

The Eagles will be running the ball a lot, between the newly-acquired Howard and rookie Miles Sanders (who we’ll get to later). I’m not sure I’d look at JJ Arcega-Whiteside as a strong candidate for Rookie of the Year. In any event, wide receivers typically don’t find themselves in that conversation.