Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey riffed on a variety of NFL topics in a GQ interview published Wednesday, including various quarterbacks.
One of the QBs Ramsey had thoughts about was the Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson, one of the few quarterbacks Ramsey had favorable things to say about.
“Deshaun Watson, he’ll be the league MVP in a couple years,” Ramsey said. “One hundred percent. There’s not even a debate about that. Him and Carson Wentz, for every year starting now until five to ten years, it’s gonna be them two. They’re that good.”
The only action Ramsey saw from Watson in person was on Sept. 10 last season when Watson replaced starter Tom Savage at halftime. With the Texans down 19-0 at the break, the rookie went 12-of-23 for 102 yards, one touchdown, an interception and a 60.4 passer rating. It wasn’t Watson’s best work, which would come in the next six games. He started all of them and led the offense to an average of 34.7 points per game.
Receiver DeAndre Hopkins was healthy for all six of those games and saw firsthand the difference in the offense with Watson under center. However, he was humble in his reply to Ramsey’s laudatory prediction for Watson.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Hopkins said. “Deshaun has a lot to work on, but it’s a team sport. So, we have to go out and win games for anything to happen.”
Winning games are a huge factor in the equation. The last MVP winner not to be a part of a team that won at least 10 games was running back Barry Sanders for the Detroit Lions in 1997. Sanders was undoubtedly the reason the Lions were competitive in the early and mid-1990s. Watson, meanwhile, is a part of a star-studded team with Hopkins to throw to and J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus and Tyrann Mathieu on defense. He would have to surpass 12 wins to get MVP consideration.