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Louis Riddick made some waves on an otherwise peaceful Memorial Day weekend. The former NFL scout and current ESPN analyst put out a bold take for people to chew on: Carson Wentz is going to be your 2019 league MVP.
QB Carson Wentz will be the #nfl #mvp for the 2019 season. Just wanted to put that out there on this spectacular holiday. You’re welcome. #eagles
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 27, 2019
The #ferrari is my guy no matter what. Just saying this is CW’s year. If you know anything about me, I don’t say this kind of stuff lightly. It’s out there now. Said it on TV. Now doubling down. Let’s see what happens.... https://t.co/zc6qAAnFAL
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 27, 2019
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 27, 2019
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 28, 2019
As Trey Wingo notes, Riddick has nailed his quarterback predictions over the past couple offseasons.
In 2017, Riddick predicted Jared Goff was going to majorly rebound from his rookie struggles. Sure enough, Goff went from a 63.6 passer rating in 2016 to a 100.5 rating in 2017.
In 2018, Riddick said Patrick Mahomes was poised to “set the league on fire.” In his first full season as a starter, Mahomes threw 50 touchdowns and won MVP.
Now Riddick is all aboard the Wentz Wagon heading into 2019. Will his bold prediction pay off?
There’s reason to feel good about Wentz as a potential MVP candidate. He obviously came very close to winning the award prior to suffering an ACL injury in 2017. And unlike last year, Wentz will have a full offseason to get ready for the upcoming campaign.
An improved supporting cast is another reason to be bullish about Wentz. The Eagles added the league’s best deep threat in DeSean Jackson. They significantly improved their backfield by trading for Jordan Howard and drafting Miles Sanders. The Eagles return the league’s best tight end tandem in Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. Philadelphia’s offensive line figures to be one of the top tier units in the league when Brandon Brooks is healthy. Doug Pederson is one of the top head coaches in the NFL.
Ultimately, the Eagles will only go as far as Wentz takes them. He has the power to put concerns about his health and inconsistency behind him by going out and having a stellar 2019 season.
We know the potential is there. It’s just a matter of execution.