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Arizona Cardinals: Carson Palmer for Comeback Player of the Year

By Vijay Singaraju

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Heading into the 2015 season, Carson Palmer should be the favorite to win the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Entering Week 10 of the 2015 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals were the talk of the town and well on their way to clinching home field advantage and possibly being the first team to play in the Super Bowl on their home turf.

Then it happened.

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Facing some heavy pass rush from the St. Louis Rams defense, Carson Palmer stepped up in the pocket in order to avoid pressure; then his knee gave out and he fell to the ground. Initially it was uncertain as to whether Palmer’s injury was as severe as it looked, but reports made it clear that Carson Palmer’s 2014 season had come to an end as he faced his second ACL tear on his right knee.

After a successful surgery, Palmer is ahead of his rehab schedule and is expected to participate fully in training camp which begins Friday, July 31st. Palmer says that he feels great, and that he is getting more confident and eager as each day passes.

"“I’m not even thinking about my knee…I’m ‘full-go’ in the weight room, ‘full-go’ on the field, and until it’s brought up, I haven’t thought about what I’m not doing because I’m doing everything I was doing.”"

With the regular season set to start in a little less than a month and a half, expect Carson Palmer to have one of his best, if not the best, seasons he’s ever had. With the type of season I expect Palmer to have, I also expect him to win the honor of Comeback Player of the Year.

Palmer has all the talent around him to put up impressive numbers this upcoming season. With the additions of Mike Iupati, and D.J. Humphries and the expected contribution of Jonathan Cooper on the offensive line, Palmer will have even more time to sit comfortably in the pocket and make great throws.

Another factor that improves Carson Palmer’s chances in winning the award is the amount of offensive weapons he has at his disposal. He has arguably one of the best wide receiving corps in the league with Fitzgerald, Floyd, Smokey Brown, and the latest addition addition expected to contribute, J.J. Nelson.

The biggest deciding factor that should cement Carson Palmer as the favorite to win the award is the team’s signing of former Cincinnati Bengal, and Palmer’s former teammate, tight end Jermaine Gresham. While Palmer only played with Gresham for one season, it will still be beneficial for both players to have a familiar face on the field, especially for Gresham who is new to the team. During his one season playing with Palmer, Jermaine Gresham caught 4 touchdown passes for 471 yards. Expect these numbers to be much higher as the Arizona Cardinals lack much depth and experience at the tight end position.

While Chad Pennington robbed Kurt Warner of the Comeback Player of the Year award back in 2008, expect Carson Palmer to be the first Arizona Cardinal to win the award.

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