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5 early NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidates

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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It’s only mid-October but at least a handful of NFL players are rebounding nicely from injury-riddled or disappointing 2015 seasons.

We have just begun Week 6 of the 2016 NFL season and there have already been some eye-opening performances.

Here we will be concentrating on the players that we believe are the frontrunners for the 2016 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

A year ago, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry walked away with the accolade, returning to the field after being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma the previous year. He was back in the Pro Bowl in 2015 and Andy Reid’s club was in the playoffs.

As we have learned, an off-year in terms of performance can also make you a candidate for comeback honors. Such was the case with San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who rebounded from nothing more than a disappointing showing to grab the honor in 2013.

Here are the five leading candidates at the moment.

Oct 9, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson (87) tries to break a tackle by New York Giants safety Andrew Adams (33) after catching a pass in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

5. WR Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers’ backers will vividly remember wide receiver Jordy Nelson going down without contact at Heinz Field in August of 2015. The result was a season-ending knee injury and bad news for quarterback Aaron Rodgers and his team’s offensive unit.

Yes, the team advanced to the playoffs for a seventh consecutive year and the star signal-caller finished with 31 touchdown passes and only eight interceptions. All this without his favorite target, who the previous year was targeted 151 times and totaled 98 catches for 1,519 yards and 13 scores. But Rodgers saw his usually-stellar completion percentage plummet to 60.7 percent.

Four games into this season and Nelson is tied for the team lead with 21 catches. He leads the Packers with 244 receiving yards while hauling in five of Rodgers’ nine touchdown tosses. The 31-year old wideout has averaged 10 throws his way per game and has scored at least once in each contest this year.

To be fair, Nelson’s numbers this season are far from awe-inspiring but it’s also very early. And it seems like only a matter of time before the quarterback and wide receiver are completely back on the same page. Rodgers’ completion percentage stands at a mystifying 56.1 and 19 of his 61 incompletions in 2016 have come when throwing to Nelson. Green Bay’s offense has had its problems in the second half of games this season and the duo’s failure to connect consistently is no doubt a factor.

Again, that will come with time. Having Nelson back on the field is a major plus and you can expect his numbers to climb as the season unfolds.

Oct 9, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) runs the ball against the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

4. RB Melvin Gordon, San Diego Chargers

In the spring of 2015, the San Diego Chargers moved up a few spots in the draft looking to improve the league’s 30th-ranked rushing attack.

University of Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon figured to solve the team’s ills at the position. Instead, the Bolts actually slipped to next-to-last in the NFL when it came to the run and the young performer had a forgettable season.

A total of 14 games added up to 184 carries for 641 yards and zero touchdowns. Gordon also hauled in 33 passes for a disappointing 192 yards and…zero touchdowns. Where the rookie runner did put up some numbers was the fumble department. Gordon put the ball on the ground six times and lost four of those miscues.

It’s been a different story so far this season, although the fumbling thing is still a bit of an issue. The 23-year-old performer has already totaled 116 carries for 393 yards on the ground, to go with six scores. He’s also added 14 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown.

In Thursday night’s 21-13 victory over the Denver Broncos, Gordon ran a season-high 27 times for 94 yards. That included a 48-yard jaunt in the third quarter that set up a field goal as the Bolts snapped a 10-game losing streak to divisional opponents. It also marked the first game this year that the second-year running back didn’t reach the end zone. But Gordon did enter the week leading the entire league with seven touchdowns.

The best may be yet to come for the talented youngster. But memories of that disappointing rookie campaign have already been erased.

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) looks to pass the football in the second half against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons defeated the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

3. QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

A year ago at this time, the Atlanta Falcons were the talk of the league with a 5-0 record.

By the end of the season, there was still a lot of talk. Eight losses in your final 11 games and failing to reach the postseason after such a start will ignite a lot of discussion.

Someone had to take the blame for such a collapse and much of the finger-pointing was aimed at quarterback Matt Ryan. A team that averaged 32.4 points per contest in its first five games saw that number cut in half (16.1 average) the rest of the season. Ryan finished the year with 21 scores through the air (his lowest total since 2009) but also turned over the football an equal amount of times – including 16 interceptions.

It’s been a very different story so far this season. Once again, Dan Quinn’s team is off to a fast start (4-1) and Atlanta has already totaled 175 points in five outings. Keep in mind that this was a club that scored only 177 points during its 3-8 finish of a year ago.

Ryan has thrown for an impressive 1,740 yards while completing exactly 69 percent of his passes. He’s already racked up a dozen touchdown passes and has been picked off only twice. The nine-year signal-caller has also hung onto the ball this season and hasn’t fumbled to date. Last season, he put the ball on the ground 12 times and lost five of those bobbles.

Of course, there’s still plenty of skepticism regarding the staying power of the 4-1 Falcons given last year’s collapse. But Ryan looks like a much more confident player these days and that’s a huge plus for the franchise.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta (88) catches a pass over the defense of Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Chris Kirksey (58) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens won 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

2. TE Dennis Pitta, Baltimore Ravens

I’m sure some could make a case that quarterback Joe Flacco, outside linebacker Terrell Suggs and wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. could be in the discussion for comeback honors by season’s end.

But the return of tight end Dennis Pitta to the playing field is pretty remarkable considering how much time he’s spent away from it.

Let us go back to the 2012 season, a campaign which resulted Super Bowl XLVII victory for the Baltimore Ravens. Pitta was the team’s second-leading receiver with 61 catches, good for 669 yards and seven scores. In four playoff games, he added 14 grabs for 163 yards and three more touchdowns.

But a broken hip the following summer kept Pitta on the sidelines for 12 games. He played the final four contests and caught 20 passes that year. The following season he reinjured himself and played in only three games. He missed all of 2015 and his career appeared just about over.

“There were doctors that suggested I should quit,” said Pitta earlier this season (via the Associated Press). “There were friends and family — looking out for my best interest and my health — who wanted me to just be smart about it.”

Five games into this season, Pitta leads the team with 28 receptions (for 259 yards) but has also failed to reach the end zone. The team’s passing attack has produced just five scores, three by wide receiver Mike Wallace.

Following last week’s 16-10 home loss to the Washington Redskins, the Ravens fired offensive coordinator Marc Trestman after less than two years on the job.

“I think it’s something that this offense needed,” said Pitta earlier this week to Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic. “We were kind of in a bad place. It didn’t seem like we were getting out of it. Hopefully this will spark us.”

The new offensive coordinator is a very familiar face in coach Marty Mornhinweg. “Hopefully we’ll be able to push the ball downfield a little bit more,” added Pitta. “We’ll be able to be balanced in our run and pass attack. I think he brings an energy to our offense that was lacking. It’s still early. Time will certainly tell. But we feel good about our potential offensively.

“We all felt good about moving the ball, and being able to get in position to score, but we never took advantage of it when we were down there. I think that will be an emphasis for us moving forward.”

The tight end makes a good point. Baltimore has failed to score at least 20 points in three of their five games. The Ravens’ offense has totaled a mere eight touchdowns this season. But the bottom line here is that Pitta is back and able to contribute. It’s something that looked like a long shot not that long ago.

Oct 9, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) warms up before the game against the Miami Dolphins during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

1. RB DeMarco Murray, Tennessee Titans

Remember the player who totaled 392 carries for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground back in 2014?

DeMarco Murray was simply not the same player as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Two years ago with the Dallas Cowboys, the talented running back not only led the league in rushing but total yards from scrimmage as well. He would go onto capture NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.

He would wind up taking the free-agent road to Philadelphia a year ago and even though it appeared head coach Chip Kelly wanted him, he had a pretty funny way of showing it. Murray played in 15 games but made only eight starts. He led the club with only 702 yards and six touchdowns on the ground but totaled only 193 carries. He added 322 yards on 44 catches and one more score, giving him 1,024 yards from scrimmage for the year.

This offseason, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman basically erased all remnants of Kelly’s work. He dealt Murray and a fourth-round draft choice to the Tennessee Titans for a fourth-round pick.

Five weeks into this season and only Arizona’s David Johnson (695) has amassed more yards from scrimmage than Murray (633). He ranks second in the NFL in rushing yards (461) and leads the Titans with 24 receptions. The talented runner has scored five of the team’s 11 touchdowns this year in only five games.

You will recall that the Titans also used a second-round pick in April on 2015 Heisman Trophy winner Derrick Henry. The young runner has rushed for 151 yards on 34 attempts but it’s Murray who has gotten the bulk of the work with 93 carries. Only the Cowboys have run for more yards than Tennessee this year.

With a win this week over the Cleveland Browns, the Titans will have matched their victory total of 2015. More importantly, they will remain right in the thick of the AFC South race. And Murray has been a big part of the club’s improved play to date.

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