Cowboys place 4 on ESPN’s 100-player MVP ballot
The league’s Most Valuable Player race will still come down to one exemplary player, but a change in the voting procedure promises to make for some interesting back-and-forth when the end-of-season awards are finally handed out in early February.
Starting this year, each Associated Press voter will cast a ballot ranking their top five choices for MVP (and top three for every other prize) instead of listing just one name for each award. The idea is to recognize not only the most elite of the elites, but also players and coaches who are near the top of their class and deserve an honorable mention for their 2022 contributions.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes would seem to be the runaway favorite for this season; not much drama there. Maybe someone else earns a few stray first-place votes. So perhaps the meatier food for thought will be sorting through who should rightfully come in second, third, and so on.
ESPN analytics guru Seth Walder took that idea and ran ever further with it. Rather than stop at five names for MVP, he compiled a ballot that ranks the NFL’s 100 most valuable players.
He used hard stats and metrics to arrive at his choices but also factored in qualitative analysis, other awards, and the opinions of league personnel. Quarterbacks still dominate the top of the list; Walder notes that he “focused on how much value a player created relative to an average starter at their position.”
The Cowboys are well-represented, with one player falling just barely outside the Top 10 and a total of four stars placing in the Top 60. (Only the Eagles, Chiefs, and 49ers have more players in that group.)
11. Micah Parsons, EDGE
JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 18: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys in action against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first quarter of the game at TIAA Bank Field on December 18, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
Parsons is the third-highest edge rusher in the Top 100, just behind Myles Garrett at No. 9 and Nick Bosa at No. 10.
Says Walder:
“Parsons absolutely dominated the early phase of pass rushes, recording a 30% pass rush win rate from edge (best in the league by several percentage points). That pass rush win rate was also a couple points higher than what he did in his rookie season, despite the fact he was doubled substantially more — 26% of the time at edge, sixth-highest in the league.”
21. Dak Prescott, QB
Nov 13, 2022; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) throws a pass during overtime against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
It’s hard to imagine the Jaguars having gone 4-1 without Trevor Lawrence, or the Dolphins or Lions doing it without Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff, respectively. But the Cowboys did just that as Dak Prescott rehabbed his fractured throwing thumb, perhaps dropping the value he brought to his team slightly in comparison and placing him ninth overall among quarterbacks in this MVP exercise.
Prescott tied for fourth leaguewide in touchdown percentage during the regular season, behind Mahomes, Tagovailoa, and Josh Allen, and alongside Joe Burrow.
24. CeeDee Lamb, WR
Sep 18, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) catches a pass as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple (20) defends during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
CeeDee Lamb came in sixth among the NFL’s wide receivers on this list, but he couldn’t have been more invaluable to the Cowboys in 2022. Lamb led the team in receptions by 50 catches, in receiving yards by almost 800, and in receiving touchdowns with nearly twice as many as Dalton Schultz.
Lamb’s ascension made Amari Cooper expendable last offseason; he responded to his promotion by repeating his 2021 numbers… and then adding Noah Brown’s and Malik Turner’s stats on top of them, even with the almost undivided attention of every opponent’s secondary in every single game.
59. Zack Martin, G
In a league that values offensive tackles much higher than guards, it’s not surprising to see Martin named just the 10th-highest-ranked lineman here. But among fellow guards, the perennial All-Pro comes in second, just behind Kansas City’s Joe Thuney.
Perhaps most telling in regard to how valuable he is to the Cowboys is that Martin was their only offensive lineman to stay in his spot the entire season. While the team shuffled players in and out at left tackle, left guard, center, and right tackle to cover for injuries throughout 2022, the Dallas coaching staff left No. 70 right where he’s proven to be at the top of his game, for over 98% of the offense’s snaps.
