NFL Awards: Predicting every winner for the 2020 season

NFL Comeback Player of the Year: Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

Sadly, the Comeback Player of the Year is usually the most competitive award. So many fantastic athletes drop every year, leading to stacked races. Of course, the headliner this season is Alex Smith. Many people are skeptical about Smith’s chances of ever playing in a game again despite getting cleared by team doctors, but Washington’s quarterback pool is extremely weak.

I would’ve loved to pick Smith here, but Ron Rivera already named Dwayne Haskins as the starter for Week 1. According to ESPN’s John Keim, Smith “has yet to take any snaps while in full pads during a full-team situation.” A comeback is still a long way off for Smith, but keep a close eye on him as the season progresses.

While Smith fights for playing time in Washington, Stafford should resume his role as the starter in Detroit after missing the team’s final eight games last year. Stafford paced 4,998 yards, 38 touchdowns, and ten interceptions through the first half of 2019. If he even comes close to matching those marks in 2020, the 32-year-old should win Comeback Player of the Year.

Other intriguing comeback cases include A.J. Green, Rob Gronkowski, Todd Gurley, Cam Newton, Ben Roethlisberger, and J.J. Watt. Newton and Roethlisberger have the best chances since they’ll touch the ball on every offensive play. Sometimes volume can beat out quality.