NFL Comeback Player of the Year 2022
The Comeback Player of the Year award officially has no explicit criteria. The accolade is usually awarded to the player who exhibits perseverance in the face of adversity, whether it's bouncing back from a poor statistical season or an injury.
Last year's recipient, Joe Burrow, led Cincinnati to a divisional title and a Super Bowl appearance one year after tearing his ACL. This year's nominees are all deserving, but one stands clearly above the rest.
The three nominees are Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and San Francisco 49ers' running back Christian McCaffrey.
Barkley's story begins in the second week of action in 2020, where the former second-overall pick tore his ACL early in a game against the Chicago Bears. Before the injury, he completed back-to-back 1000-yard campaigns and appeared to be living up to the hype he had coming out of Penn State.
He returned in 2021 a shell of himself as he rushed for less than 600 yards on 3.7 yards per carry and scored four total touchdowns. This was not the Saquon Barkley the NFL had become accustomed to.
After a down season, Barkley exploded for New York and led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 in what many believed to be a rebuilding year. Barkley racked up over 1300 rushing yards, scoring ten times and made the Pro Bowl for the second time in his career.
From one running back to another, Christian McCaffrey had the type of year many knew he was capable of after his Rose Bowl performance in 2016 with Stanford. McCaffrey was shipped from Carolina to San Francisco at the trade deadline and proved to be a huge factor as the 49ers pushed toward the playoffs.
After two injury-riddled campaigns, the Colorado native amassed nearly 1900 scrimmage yards and scored 14 total touchdowns. McCaffrey was the anchor of a star-studded San Francisco offense that terrorized defenses all year and helped the 49ers finish the regular season on a ten-game winning streak.
Finally, it's time to look at what is arguably the most heart-warming story of the entire season, Geno Smith. This man has had his fair share of ups and downs in his nine-year career.
Smith was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2013 draft. He started all 16 games for the Jets that year and threw about two interceptions for every touchdown.
In his second year with New York, Smith's struggles continued, and he was ultimately benched in Week 8 after leading the Jets to an abysmal 1-8 start. The former West Virginia standout was labeled a bust and forgotten by the rest of the league.
Smith was a backup for the next six seasons, journeying from the Jets to the Giants to the Chargers and finally landing with the Seahawks in 2019. He earned the backup in Seattle and sat behind franchise quarterback Russell Wilson for three seasons.
From 2015-2021, Smith started only five games, but that was enough for head coach Pete Carroll to give him the reins after trading Wilson to Denver as Seattle entered a rebuilding phase.
But a funny thing happened: Geno Smith put on a show.
As luck would have it, the Broncos and Seahawks played each other Week 1 in Seattle, and Smith outplayed Wilson. The Seahawks would win 17-16, and Smith would go on to have an excellent year.
As a 32-year old, Smith threw for over 4000 yards and threw for 30 touchdowns against 11 interceptions and earned a Pro Bowl nod. He also led the Seahawks to an unlikely playoff appearance.
Someone who wasn't nominated but definitely deserves mentioning is defensive end Brandon Graham of the Philadelphia Eagles. The 33-year-old returned from a torn Achilles and put up the most sacks ever, 11, in his entire career.
JC Colavita is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jrc6383@psu.edu.
