Damar Hamlin has been the favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year since Week 1, but there’s only one problem: Hamlin has only appeared in 5 games (0 starts) and has only recorded 4 stats.
We are around the one year mark since Damar Hamlin suffered a cardiac arrest on the playing field in front of hundreds of thousands. Thankfully, Hamlin recovered after being on life support and is currently on the Buffalo Bills 53-man active roster.
The debate of Hamlin deserving CPoY has been rampant, with the majority agreeing that he is not deserving of it. The argument is backed up by the fact that Hamlin didn’t even play half of the season and has only recorded 4 stats, being 2 solo and combo tackles.
Meanwhile Joe Flacco and Matthew Stafford (who sit 2nd and 3rd in CPoY Las Vegas odds), have been much more active and have contributed more playing time and wins to their team.
In my personal opinion, Damar Hamlin shouldn’t even be a top 3 candidate for CPoY. Hamlin has done close to nothing to help Buffalo this season: both games where he did record stats resulted in Buffalo losing.
Matthew Stafford is undoubtedly having a rebound season after 2022 was halted due to injuries, but he was always an elite quarterback who still has some of that Super Bowl LVI smell.
Joe Flacco is the most impressive in my opinion. Flacco sat on the Jets’ bench for 3 seasons and went 1-8. Not to mention, Flacco hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2017. Up until a few weeks ago he was sitting on his couch at home as a free agent before the Cleveland Browns contacted him. Flacco has since led the Browns to a 3-1 record and has thrown 10 touchdowns, making Cleveland super bowl favorites.
Who should win 2023/24 NFL CPoY?
Damar Hamlin
Joe Flacco
Matthew Stafford