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Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young. Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports

One bounce-back candidate for every NFC East team

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 6/29/23

The AP NFL Comeback Player of the Year award has been around since 1963. Washington’s Alex Smith and Philadelphia’s Michael Vick are the only NFC East players to win it, but these guys could join them in 2023.

Dallas Cowboys: Ronald Jones (RB)

Jones played just six games for the Kansas City Chiefs last year but averaged 5.1 yards per carry for nearly 1,000 yards in 2020 for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that won Super Bowl LV.

After signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys in the offseason, Jones is in line to become the team’s No. 2 running back. With Ezekiel Elliott no longer with Dallas, Tony Pollard will be the team’s lead back, assuming he recovers from injury.

If Pollard can’t recover from leg and ankle injuries suffered late last season, Jones could be back in a starting role. Even if Pollard stays healthy, head coach Mike McCarthy has vowed to run the ball more in 2023.

That’s good news for an experienced player like Jones. He’ll still fight for carries with second-year running back Malik Davis and sixth-round rookie Deuce Vaughn, but if Jones has a good camp, he’ll have an opportunity to bounce back in 2023

New York Giants: Xavier McKinney (S)

After playing in just six games as a rookie, McKinney didn’t miss a game in 2021. That year, he made 93 tackles and tied for the fourth-most interceptions in the league with five.

But in 2022 McKinney was involved in a freak ATV accident during the team’s bye week and needed surgery after breaking multiple fingers on his left hand. The injury forced him to miss eight games and his numbers were way down as a result.

Xavier McKinney details what happened on his ATV accident.

He fell on his hand and had surgery on a couple fingers: pic.twitter.com/IbEy5P5mdA
— Giants Videos (@SNYGiants) November 8, 2022

Fellow safety Julian Love stepped up in his absence with 124 tackles, but signed with the Seahawks in the offseason. Without Love, McKinney will be counted on as the team’s top safety. If he can get back to the numbers he had two years ago, he’ll be a serious candidate for Comeback Player of the Year.

Philadelphia Eagles: Derek Barnett (DE)

A lot was expected of Barnett when the Eagles took him 14th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft and to be fair, he’s had his moments. His sack against the Minnesota Vikings in the 2017 NFC Championship Game helped the team advance to Super Bowl LII, where he recovered a late-game fumble to help seal the victory.

But Barnett has just 21.5 sacks in six years as an Eagle. He’s battled injuries throughout his career and missed all of 2022 with a torn ACL. This year he’ll compete for snaps in a rotation that includes Haasan Reddick, Nolan Smith and Brandon Graham.

Barnett is a talented player and well-liked by his teammates. Look for the Eagles to use him in favorable matchups throughout 2023.

Washington Commanders: Chase Young (DE)

No NFL player has fallen as far as Young. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft got off to a fast start with 7.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss on his way to winning the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.

But Young underperformed in 2021. He played in just nine games before a torn ACL ended his season and kept him out for most of 2022.

The team declined his fifth-year option and remain open to trading the 24-year-old pass-rusher. As far as his knee is concerned, Young is feeling much better, according to ESPN’s John Keim.

"Night and day," he said, “My confidence, my strength. Everything."

If he plays anywhere near his 2020 form in a contract year, look for Young to cash in after the 2023 season.

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