Who would you consider the MVP for the Washington Commanders in 2022?
We’ll get to our picks soon, but ESPN recently named its 100 most valuable NFL players of 2022. This was a different exercise, as Seth Walder noted the criteria for naming the top 100.
Walder explained this was a descriptive exercise, meaning it was a measure of who generated the most value in 2022. It’s also his opinion, but he did use some of ESPN’s analytics, such as pass block win rates and other metrics devoted to each position.
To no one’s surprise, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes came in at No. 1. Mahomes was impressive again in 2022, despite the Chiefs trading away star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Buffalo’s Josh Allen came in at No. 2, while Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson rounded out the top five.
How many Commanders landed on ESPN’s top 100?
Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive tackle Daron Payne. No surprises, right?
McLaurin came in at No. 37:
His 2.2 yards per route run is pretty good. But it’s great when you consider Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz were the quarterbacks throwing passes to McLaurin. McLaurin has always been a strong contested-catch receiver, but his 77 Catch Score this year was narrowly a career-best.
It’s good to see McLaurin earning the respect he deserves.
Payne came in at No. 75 after his breakout season, in which he recorded 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss [top five in the NFL]. Both McLaurin and Payne earned their first trip to the Pro Bowl.
One Commander who didn’t make it was defensive tackle Jonathan Allen. For anyone who didn’t name Allen among the top 100 probably didn’t watch many Washington games in 2022.
