Lance's Comeback Player of the Year Candidates
I’m going to start each one of these articles by addressing any elephants in the room. Another words, if there’s a player (or coach for the COY) that isn’t listed that many will view as a high candidate for the award I will explain why I don’t have them listed right here in this section. First, I’m only listing my top 5 picks for each award, so obviously there are going to be players who are snubbed. Second, I do what I want. Ask my wife, I tell her that all the time. Usually she’s right, I shouldn’t be doing whatever it is she’s telling me not to do, but I’m stubborn, so I do it anyway.
There are two players that come to mind for this award that I have left off my list: Ben Roethlisberger and Rob Gronkowski. While both would certainly be eligible for the award, especially with the loose definition used to describe the “Comeback” portion of the title, I see a major flaw that keeps them off my list.
For Big Ben it’s his age coupled with the injury he suffered. He’s 38 years old and coming off elbow surgery. Considering he relies heavily on his big arm that injury is going to have a big impact on his game. His age is only going to increase the chances of further injury.
For Gronk it’s the fact that he just took an entire year off and is heading to a team that is loaded with pass catchers. The year off could prove to be a plus if he’s fully healed and able to get back into his football shape, and the fact that he has the most rapport with Brady on that team could help with the target share. But I’m still weary about the role he’ll play. The Bucs have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, plus they used a pick on Tyler Johnson who is sure to see the field given Bruce Arians’ love for three Receiver sets. Arians is also not a big proponent of using his Tight Ends, and he has three solid starters on the roster right now (Gronk, Howard and Brate). There’s a lot of mouths to feed and only so many passes to go around.
Now that I’ve got that out of the way, here’s my top 5:
1) S Derwin James (LA Chargers)
Reason: If this isn’t the most obvious pick, I don’t know who is. James was the catalyst for the Chargers defense in 2018 and without him they fell apart in 2019 (not completely, but there was a serious drop off in play). James’ talent is just on another level, and as long as he stays healthy in 2020 it’s going to be hard for him not to win CPOY.
2) RB Saquon Barkley (NY Giants)
Reason: Here is where the loose definition used to describe who can be deemed a “Comeback Player”, comes into play. Barkley only missed three games last year, but his stats were way down compared to 2018, largely due to an ankle injury he suffered early on in the season. He should be ready to go when this season kicks off. With Daniel Jones in his second year, the passing game should take a step forward and take some of the heat off of Barkley. We could see him return to his 2018 numbers, if not surpass them, which makes him a prime candidate for this award.
3) Edge Bradley Chubb (Denver)
Reason: Chubb was a player that I really liked for DPOY last year. Though you won’t find him on that list for me this year, I still expect him to have a spectacular season. His return is one of the major reasons I expect to see Denver’s defense return to the top ten. If he stays on the field and hits 12+ sacks he’ll give Derwin James a run for his money.
4) QB Baker Mayfield (Cleveland)
Reason: 4 straight players from the 2018 draft class, it really shows the talent that was in the draft that year, and how quickly things can start going downhill in the NFL. Baker was not injured last year, but he was under constant fire both from the fans/media, and from pass rushers. The Browns got him a new coach (one who is going to help take a lot of pressure off the young signal caller), two new bookend Tackles, and a new weapon at Tight End. I love Baker’s chances of hitting 4200+ pass yards, 30+ touchdowns and greatly shrinking that interception total while increasing his completion rate.
5) LB Reuben Foster (Washington)
Reason: This one may seem completely off the wall, especially considering the players I passed on to put him in this spot, but I do have my reasons. Foster is very talented, that’s not what’s been the problem since he entered the league. It’s the off the field antics that cost him the start of his career and the injury last season that ended his second chance before it even got started. If he’s fully healed, he has the athleticism to be the Luke Kuechly in Ron Rivera’s defense. He’ll also benefit from a loaded front seven (Chase Young, Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, Tim Settle, Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne). There’s no shortage of big guys who will stand in front of him and take on the first wave of blockers. He’s got his work cut out for him, all he has to do is stay out of trouble and heal up.
