Cleveland Browns nominees for each 2021 NFL award
By Nick Swanson
Comeback Player of the Year – Odell Beckham Jr.
This one is pretty obvious, isn’t it? The Cleveland Browns went 11-5 on the season last year and that was without their number one wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr.
With Beckham most likely returning to the team, he’s the clear-cut favorite for the award if he plays the full season. We saw how the offense flourished without him in the first year under Kevin Stefanski and now we’ll hopefully get to see him thrive. The past few years of his career have been overwhelmed with injuries or just lackluster play, for his standards.
If Beckham can manage to mesh into this offense right away then he could be poised for a big year. The biggest issue the Browns have faced with him in the lineup is the inconsistency from Baker Mayfield and the tendency to force the ball.
If Mayfield and Beckham can be on the same page and understand that the ball can be spread around the field and that OBJ doesn’t need 10 targets a game, this Browns offense could be the best in the league, even better than the Chiefs. A 1,000 yard and 5+ touchdown season would definitely keep him in the running for the award.
Beckham is returning from an ACL tear that he suffered in the Week 7 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. If he can return to a form that’s anywhere near what he was at with the New York Giants he’ll be the frontrunner for the Comeback Player of the Year award and could potentially solidify the Browns as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
The only player he realistically has a chance of losing the award to would be Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.