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Come Fan with UsTuesday, June 23, 2026

SB Nation’s Preseason Comeback Player Of The Year Award Is An Easy Pick

SB Nation's preseason pick for comeback player of the year should be no surprise -- it's Peyton Manning. The Denver Broncos' quarterback, who missed last season with a neck injury, is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, so he's an easy pick for this award.


More: Def. ROTY | Off. ROTY | Off. MVP | Def. MVP | Coach Of Year


Ninety-two percent of SB Nation's NFL bloggers selected Manning as the comeback player of the year. Two more received votes -- Kansas City Chiefs' Jamaal Charles and Minnesota Vikings' Adrian Peterson.

Manning’s health is the big question in the NFL this year. If he plays like he did when he was racking up MVP awards, the Broncos will be a popular Super Bowl pick. If he struggles, it could be a long year in Denver.

A sampling of comments from SB Nation bloggers:

Bleeding Green Nation:

This one more or less picks itself. Its Peyton Manning’s to lose.

Bucs Nation:

If Peyton Manning can even remotely approach his pre-injury level of play, he should win this awardhands down. The preseason gave us little reason to worry about Peyton’s injury, so this award should be his.

The full results:

Peyton Manning: 92 percent
Jamaal Charles: 4
Adrian Peterson: 4

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