Value added.
That’s what Dallas Cowboys bettors see in a team that has upgraded without costing gamblers any money in Super Bowl Futures odds.
The Cowboys Super Bowl odds remain at +1400 amid the enhancements of all-pro cornerback Stephon Gilmore, highly-productive wide receiver Brandin Cooks and the maintenance of core players.
They remain +1400 after a strong off-season that includes locking down running back Tony Pollard via the franchise tag and retaining Cooper Rush, the best backup quarterback in football last year.
They stay +1400 after keeping offensive tackle Terence Steele, along with defensive players Donovan Wilson and Leighton Vander Esch, all sound moves.
It’s Hard to Move the Market Needle
And that’s good news for Cowboys bettors because the team gave that prospect a chance.
The market has not put a price on accepted projections like Gilmore’s high-level play. Nor has it adjusted for Cooks providing needed deep speed to complement stud CeeDee Lamb and the healing Michael Gallup.
Intangibles won’t move the board either. Cooks has expressed delight in leaving a Houston rebuild for a Dallas fine-tune. He brings an exuberance to Dallas and allowed a restructured contract that opened money for the Cowboys to spend on more players.
That’s all positive news, yes. Just not a betting game-changer.
Nor is the loss of solid tight end Dalton Schultz to the Houston Texans. It was expected and most likely baked into the initial betting line.
Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot may now get their shot to blossom under the Cowboys’ system.
At this time of the year, almost nothing moves the Futures market.
But the one thing that does is monumental.
Quarterbacks Change Betting Direction
Cowboys’ fans are familiar with three significant betting trends orchestrated by franchise signal callers.
Two are seismic and ‘Boys fans know that from following the league.
One was significant and benefitted them firsthand.
Let’s look at all three.
Top Betting Hits, Volume One
March 20 marked the three-year anniversary of Tom Brady’s revolutionary impact on gambling markets.
In the legalized sporting age, it remains the biggest offseason move to ever hit the NFL Futures market.
The GOAT’s decision to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers vaulted the Bucs’ odds to win the Super Bowl from the neighborhood of +5000 to +1400 across the sportsbooks landscape. It happened rapidly, first as a rumor and then as a confirmed fact.
Gamblers could not place their wagers fast enough. And all became winners, with the Bucs winning it all in Brady’s first season.
Some bettors even wagered the ticket multiple times, cashing at +5000 and then perhaps +2000.
Brady’s move also had a special place in the sports-wagering world.
There has never been a more welcome development in the betting community. Brady’s announcement came just a few days after the recorded outbreak of Covid 19. Grateful gamblers, facing unprecedented shutdowns in spring sports, breathed a sigh of relief that there would be something to play in the fall.
Top Betting Hits, Volume Two
It’s happening again, right now.
Aaron Rodgers announced that he wants to play for the New York Jets in 2023. The consensus is that the deal is all but done to lure the Green Bay Packer great to the league’s biggest market.
Before it’s even complete, the Jets surged from +3000 to +1400 to win the Super Bowl. What a leap. That’s probably the biggest move a deal has ever made before it’s done.
The Jets now occupy the same spot on the Futures ladder as the Cowboys and the pieces look right on this team surrounding dynamic coach Robert Saleh.
This would be an all-in move to win now for the Jets, who would probably lose the bulk of their stockpiled draft picks in this gambit. But Rodgers, like Brady, is a lightning rod for the markets.
Top Hits Betting Volume Three
Cowboy Cha-Ching.
Cowboys’ bettors experienced this dynamic throughout the regular 2022 season, more on game-by-game wagering spreads than in Futures.
Think about the Cowboys winning 12 games this past year. And then think of them being a whopping +8.5 home dog against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second week last season.
It happened right after Dak Prescott was injured and Rush tabbed to replace him
Bettors not only said ‘thanks for the gimme’, but hit the moneyline too with the Cowboys notching a 20-17 upset. The ‘Boys would go on to a 4-1 record straight up and against the spread under Rush. The mark included moneyline wins as a dog against the Bengals, New York Giants and Los Angeles Rams.
Unlike the first two major line moves, this one involved a team that did not fall as far as projected with their star QB sidelined.
Rush gave the reigns back to Dak with the ‘Boys 4-2. They went 8-3 under Prescott the rest of the way and then won a playoff game.
Barring major quarterback news, most teams won’t fluctuate much in their current standings before training camp.
What ‘Boys Bettors Will Keep Their Eyes On
It starts with the NFL draft next month. If pundits unanimously agree a team has a stellar draft, that could change a team’s Futures odds.
Otherwise, Cowboys bettors will be content to watch this team improve its infrastructure.
They will also take heart that if the ‘Boys trade late draft picks for current starts, their front office thinks the “Futures” is now.
