How has the offseason impacted Eagles’ playoff odds?

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It’s been a wild offseason for the Philadelphia Eagles. Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins, long-term loves of the organization, were released into free agency, , while the team were aggressive in finally securing a lockdown corner in Darius Slay. But what does all of this mean for the team’s playoff odds?

If you’re a betting individual, this is a particularly tough time. There’s no sport to watch and at this stage I’m tempted to host my own DraftKings contest on a family Mario Kart championship. But we can look at how the Eagles fare in regards to playoff odds.

The folks at Sports Betting Dime have created a handy tracker for all 32 NFL teams and their odds to do exactly that – showing the changes as weeks go by.

The Eagles opened up at -174 to make the playoffs and +142 to miss them.
As things stand right now, depending on your bookmaker, the Eagles range from -160 to -200 to make the playoffs. But there are a few things to bare in mind here:

It’s not like the Eagles exactly helped themselves from a betting perspective when it came to drafting a quarterback in the second round. The mood around the move for a long time was one of confusion, and the only reason that cloud has lifted is due to constant speculation as to how he’ll be implemented.

The public also tend to be very complimentary of Dallas due to their reputation. When you factor in a draft that saw them snatch both CeeDee Lamb and Tyler Biadasz from them, the instant perception was one of positivity.

However, Sports Betting Dime also track divisional odds. What’s really interesting is that on the 22nd of April (before the Draft), the Eagles were actually slight favorites the Cowboys. Coming out of the Draft, the change was significant, but not as overwhelming as you’d imagine.

Sure, the Cowboys may have reliability and a notable offensive presence on their side, but losing Center Travis Frederick is a big hit to take and let’s not forget that Jerry Jones is probably more likely to pay Clayton Thorson than he is Dak Prescott at this point.

The NFL Schedule release only made things more interesting. The Eagles and Cowboys will face off in Jerry World during the penultimate week of the season, but their final five games also include the Ravens, Niners, and Bengals. Two playoff teams and a rookie QB who will want to go down swinging don’t exactly pave a nice run-in to the end of the season. A slight hiccup and the house that Jerry built could all come tumbling down.

The Eagles’ final five games however include the Packers (who may be in self destruct), Saints, Cardinals, Cowboys, and Redskins. A much easier run-in.

If you’re looking for value on the Eagles, who found their stride at the end of 2019 thanks to Carson Wentz lifting the entire offense by himself, now may be the best time to hop onto the betting bandwagon.

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports