Latest news with #EricEdholm
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Colts offensive playmaker named 2025 MVP candidate
All the attention this offseason in Indianapolis has been focused on the Colts' quarterback situation. As a result, one of Indy's most reliable and consistent playmakers has flown under the radar despite having MVP potential. Given how much Indy is likely to lean on him, Eric Edholm selected running back Jonathan Taylor as the Colts' best MVP candidate in 2025. With Taylor having been Edholm's choice in 2024 as well, he's even more confident in the two-time Pro Bowler to be the guy again. 'Taylor was the Colts' best performer in 2024 -- despite the fact that he missed three weeks early in the season and ultimately posted modest receiving totals,' he writes. 'I feel even stronger about the pick this time around, with the Colts' run game being absolutely critical to achieving the level of team success that would produce an MVP candidate in the first place.' Taylor taking home the ultimate individual prize the NFL offers would be a long shot in today's pass-first era of football. In fact, no running back has won the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012, over a decade ago. The Colts adding Khalil Herbert in free agency and drafting DJ Giddens in the 5th round in April also suggest a lesser work load for Taylor. Still, the former Wisconsin Badger is the Colts most likely choice. The 26-year-old has already led the league in rushing yards once in 2021 (1,811) and posted 1,431 yards in 2024, his best total since that league-leading campaign.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyler Murray named MVP sleeper for 2025 after ‘quietly' having one of his best seasons
Kyler Murray has long been seen as a player with MVP potential. But entering his sixth NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals quarterback is still searching for his first vote. That might finally change in 2025. Murray is coming off what quietly was one of the most efficient years of his career — and now that he's fully recovered from his 2022 ACL injury, signs point to an even bigger breakout looming. "I think Murray quietly had one of his best seasons last year, and he's reaching the peak of his career just as the Cardinals appear to be rounding into form,' Eric Edholm wrote. 'The key to building on that might be avoiding those handful of dud games Arizona seems to have offensively with Murray at the helm. Shed those, and he and the team should be in decent shape.' Those 'dud games' are what have plagued both Murray and the Cardinals in recent years, often killing momentum in the middle of otherwise promising stretches. Arizona briefly held first place in the NFC West last November but dropped five of their last seven games. And while the defense has received much of the offseason attention thanks to key draft additions like Walter Nolen and Will Johnson, the real story might be Murray. His 2024 stat line — 3,851 passing yards, 21 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 572 rushing yards and five rushing scores — was his second-best career-wise in most of those categories. He also played an entire season healthy. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Murray now has the best offensive arsenal he's ever worked with, led by tight end Trey McBride and No. 4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr. If he stays on the field and maintains last year's pace, the numbers will take care of themselves. The Cardinals have built the roster for him to succeed. FanSided's Romell Williams wrote that 'there should be no excuse as to why Murray doesn't have a career year in 2025.' He added that if Murray doesn't show significant progress this season, Arizona could be in the quarterback market by 2026. But a career year doesn't just mean good stats — it means wins. Arizona has finished at the bottom of the NFC West two out of the last three years, and with head coach Jonathan Gannon also under pressure to deliver, expectations are rising. There's also the contract factor. Murray is playing under a five-year, $230.5 million deal signed in 2022, but his dead cap hit drops significantly after this season. If the Cardinals struggle again, Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr believes Arizona may look to recoup value via trade. The stakes are clear. But so is the opportunity. If Murray can string together consistency, stay healthy, and lead Arizona back to the playoffs in a winnable NFC West, he'll be hard to ignore in the MVP conversation — especially for a player who's never received a single vote. This is the window. It's now or never.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NFL analyst names Panthers' top MVP candidate for 2025 season
The Carolina Panthers haven't had the NFL's Most Valuable Player in nearly 10 full seasons. But can someone on their current roster break that drought in 2025? writer Eric Edholm recently named each team's top MVP candidate for the upcoming campaign. He tabs quarterback Bryce Young as Carolina's best shot at the sport's top individual honor. Edholm writes: The Panthers don't really have a non-QB worth nominating, and even Young feels like a reach. His play down the stretch last winter was exactly what you wanted to see from a player who had been benched following a terrible start to Year 2 -- Young performed with the sort of bravado and accuracy the Panthers yearned for when they traded up to take him No. 1. Is Young at an MVP level yet? No, not close, but the franchise spent much of the offseason looking for ways to beef up his artillery. Carolina should be better, and Young is headed in the right direction, but it would take a pretty significant leap for him to be recognized among the very best of the best. Young made a pretty significant leap this past year, after returning from his shocking early-season benching. The former first overall pick started and impressed in the season's final 10 games—totaling 2,327 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 mark. Year No. 3 is set to offer Young the most stable situation he's had yet as a pro. The soon-to-be 24-year-old will not only be in his second campaign under head coach and offensive play-caller Dave Canales, but he'll also have the continuity of a solid starting offensive line and a new No. 1 wideout at his disposal in 2025's eighth overall selection Tetairoa McMillan. Will all of that help create a very unlikely MVP case from Young? Probably not. Another step in the right direction for Young, however, will be incredibly valuable for the Panthers as they keep on article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: QB Bryce Young tabbed as Panthers' top MVP candidate for 2025 season
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst names Panthers' top MVP candidate for 2025 season
The Carolina Panthers haven't had the NFL's Most Valuable Player in nearly 10 full seasons. But can someone on their current roster break that drought in 2025? writer Eric Edholm recently named each team's top MVP candidate for the upcoming campaign. He tabs quarterback Bryce Young as Carolina's best shot at the sport's top individual honor. Edholm writes: The Panthers don't really have a non-QB worth nominating, and even Young feels like a reach. His play down the stretch last winter was exactly what you wanted to see from a player who had been benched following a terrible start to Year 2 -- Young performed with the sort of bravado and accuracy the Panthers yearned for when they traded up to take him No. 1. Is Young at an MVP level yet? No, not close, but the franchise spent much of the offseason looking for ways to beef up his artillery. Carolina should be better, and Young is headed in the right direction, but it would take a pretty significant leap for him to be recognized among the very best of the best. Young made a pretty significant leap this past year, after returning from his shocking early-season benching. The former first overall pick started and impressed in the season's final 10 games—totaling 2,327 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions while leading the Panthers to a 4-6 mark. Year No. 3 is set to offer Young the most stable situation he's had yet as a pro. The soon-to-be 24-year-old will not only be in his second campaign under head coach and offensive play-caller Dave Canales, but he'll also have the continuity of a solid starting offensive line and a new No. 1 wideout at his disposal in 2025's eighth overall selection Tetairoa McMillan. Will all of that help create a very unlikely MVP case from Young? Probably not. Another step in the right direction for Young, however, will be incredibly valuable for the Panthers as they keep on building. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NFL analyst ranks the NFC West right in the middle of the league
The Los Angeles Rams player in one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL: The NFC West. Between the Rams (who won the crown in 2024), the San Francisco 49ers (who won in consecutive seasons from 2022 to 2023), the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, it's anyone's guess who could take home the division title in 2025. Despite the closeness of the teams, where does the NFC West rank among all eight divisions? Eric Edholm ranked it as the fifth-best division in the league — wedged right between fourth-ranked NFC East and the sixth-ranked AFC East. It's a very solid division. You can make a case for all four teams having a playoff path in 2025. But how many have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations? That was one reason I stacked the NFC East ahead of the West. That's the crux of the lowly rank. Despite the Rams and 49ers being two of the most competitive teams in the league, neither is a bona fide Super Bowl contender at the moment. The Seahawks and Cardinals, meanwhile, as still searching for their identity in 2025. Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan will always make the West a threat to win the Super Bowl by the nature of their ability to build a competitive roster. But both have flaws — age on offense and youth on defense for L.A. and a major roster turnover for San Fran. However, 2025 could be the year the West turns it around to return as one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL.
