2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates

The 2023 NFL season is only a couple of months away. Who can we look at as being three darkhorse MVP candidates in the coming season?  To the surprise of likely no one, Patrick Mahomes won the NFL MVP award in the 2022 season.  That was his second career MVP award and he is surely going to be the favorite to win it again in 2023.

However, there are a ton of elite players in the NFL that are very much capable of winning the most prestigious individual honor in the NFL, besides the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.  Depending on who you ask, the MVP award is not exactly always the most valuable player; it seems to have turned into the most valuable quarterback award.

And it doesn’t seem like that trend is going to stop anytime soon.  Even though the NFL still does have a shortage of top QB talent, the top QBs in the NFL are truly elite, so it’s likely that the 2023 NFL season sees another QB win the MVP award.

So, besides the most obvious choices for the MVP award in 2023 like Mahomes, Burrow, Allen, and Hurts, let’s look into some darkhorse candidates to win it in 2023.

2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates

Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos

Surprisingly, Russell Wilson has never received an MVP vote during his career even though he has had a few MVP-caliber seasons during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.  In 2023, Wilson appears to have the best possible situation around him when you consider the offensive line, weapons, and coaching.

The 2022 season for Wilson was the worst of his football career.  He looked like a broken player who was inefficient, banged up, and was not playing in an offense that maximized his talents.  Nathaniel Hackett was in over his head and was clearly not ready to be an NFL head coach.

However, 2023 appears to be different.  Not only did the Denver Broncos boost their offensive line in free agency with additions of Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers, but they traded for Sean Payton to be their new head coach.

Payton has a Hall of Fame resume as a head coach and offensive mind with the New Orleans Saints.  He brings, objectively speaking, an elite offensive mindset to the Broncos.  Payton was also able to get a ton out of Drew Brees, especially during the 2017-2020 seasons when Brees was aging into his 40s.

I think Russell Wilson is still a very talented QB and will get to showcase what he does best with Sean Payton.

2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

The 2022 season was an interesting one for Tua Tagovailoa, who looked like an MVP candidate for most of the year, but he missed a few games because of concussions, and many began to think that he should have retired due to the way those injuries happened.

I can’t imagine how scary it must’ve been for Tagovailoa to go through all of that, but he seems to have reinvented himself for the 2023 NFL season.  He is showing off a clear weight gain, as evidenced by this picture that circulated social media a while ago.

His Pro Football Reference page lists him as 6’1″, 217lbs, but this picture clearly shows the fourth-year QB at a heavier weight.  He’s most definitely pushing 230lbs here, which is interesting.  He is a bit smaller with his height, so the weight gain was surely done to soften the blows of some of the hits that he will take.

He also apparently did some jiu-jitsu this offseason to try and learn how to fall to the ground safely to avoid taking shots to the head.  This QB has gone above and beyond to try and stay healthy.  Couple that with the Miami Dolphins being another year immersed in Mike McDaniel’s system, and it’s easy to see how Tua can play quite well in 2023.

He did toss 25 touchdowns against eight interceptions in 13 games for Miami in 2022, earning a passer rating of 105.5, which led the NFL.  He also led the NFL in yards gained per completion, which tells us that he was completing a lot of low-percentage throws farther down the field.

Between Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, and the other pass catchers on the Dolphins’ roster, they’ll all have another year of chemistry together.  I think this makes life easier for them on the field as there is less of an adjustment with the new offense.

I’d expect the Dolphins’ offense to hit the ground running in the 2023 NFL season.

2023 NFL Season: Evaluation 3 darkhorse MVP candidates

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

Like Russell Wilson, I think Deshaun Watson’s abysmal 2022 season has made us forget just how good he is.  Watson was, before 2022, one of the most efficient passers in the NFL, and I think he’ll return to that in the 2023 NFL season.

He’s a true dual-threat QB and is on a Browns’ team that looks like they could quietly turn into a juggernaut.  They have the best and most consistent RB in the NFL in Nick Chubb, an encouraging WR core that features names like Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Donovan Peoples-Jones, an an elite offensive line.

I also think if the Browns’ defense takes a step forward in 2023, this team could be a complete one, vying for the AFC North crown.  At his best, Watson is a top five-seven QB in the NFL.  As recently as 2020, he put up 4,823 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Over the course of a 17-game season, Watson averages 4,432 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions per season.  He’s also averaged 525 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns per 17 games.  Those are excellent numbers.

Over the course of his career, Deshaun Watson has averaged nearly 5,000 total yards and 36 touchdowns per 17 games.  Well, I happen to think he’s got the best and most skilled situation around him on offense than he’s had his entire career.

The 2023 NFL season could be a massive one for Deshaun Watson.