There’s two definitive Comeback Player of the Year leaders

We’re only in Week 7, but it’s starting to become clear what teams lead the league and what players are dominating the season so far.

For an award like NFL AP MVP, we almost will not know who gets the award until we know in February. A more nuanced award like Comeback Player of the Year, however, is starting to become clear on who could actually win.

In the offseason, Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin was the clear favorite for Comeback Player of the Year. Following his tragedy on the field in January, he healed, recovered and got back on the field for practice to be officially cleared to play just four months after.

He set foot on the field again after three weeks of being a healthy scratch. Hamlin was used on the Bills’s special teams for kick returns against the Miami Dolphins, where the team won, 48-20.

It almost seems for certain, because of the cardiac arrest Hamlin faced, that he’ll receive the award. But there is another candidate sneaking up for consideration.

Miami Dolphins quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa is the second best favorite for Comeback Player of the Year, and it makes sense.

Tagovailoa sustained three concussions in the 2022 season, missing five games including the postseason, which overall negatively impacted the Dolphins season. In the offseason, he considered retirement where he put major consideration on his health.

Instead, he took up jiu-jitsu training where he learned how to fall carefully – where it’s more than just not having impact on your head and neck area.

Neurologists also told Tagovailoa that he wouldn’t sustain CTE and that he was okay following the concussions, which made the Dolphins quarterback comfortably come back to the game.

Picking up Tyreek Hill for Tagovailoa was also a big help. Pairing the training with getting acclimated with the game again, Tagovailoa was in for a big season – to which he’s delivered so far.

Tagovailoa is averaging about 300 yards and one touchdown per game this season, with an average passer rating of 114.1. He’s on track for a career-high passer rating, too.

It takes a lot of mental and physical courage for both Hamlin and Tagovailoa to come back from sustained injuries to play and deliver at a high quality on the field the next season. Keeping an eye on the Comeback Player of the Year market is going to be an exciting one as both players continue to develop this season.