Injuries defined the 49ers’ 2018 season, and now they’ll need to reverse that trend to compete for a playoff spot in 2019. That will mean several injured players bouncing back and contributing in a big way. Perhaps the biggest illustration of that is Pro Football Focus naming two 49ers among their top 10 candidates to win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. They listed both quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and newly-signed cornerback Jason Verrett as potential winners.
Garoppolo earning the award would be a good sign for San Francisco, and would likely mean the 49ers made their way to the postseason. He hasn’t played a full season yet under Kyle Shanahan’s system, but his time in San Francisco has been successful when he’s been on the field. Per PFF:
Garoppolo made his first start for the team in Week 13, and he put all concerns about sample size behind him, as went on to record overall grades of 70.0 or higher in all five of his games until the close of the season. He ended his first season with the ‘Niners with an 86.6 overall grade, and he displayed remarkable, game-changing poise both from a clean pocket (110.1 passer rating – sixth among quarterbacks) and while under pressure (108.0 passer rating against unblocked pressure) – much like his mentor during his time in New England.
His ACL tear in Week 3 last season effectively derailed the season for the playoff-hopeful 49ers. While CJ Beathard and Nick Mullens showed they can both be capable backups, they also showed just how important Garoppolo is for San Francisco. The 49ers should have a formidable offense if he returns to form.
Verrett is an interesting case because he only has one full NFL season under his belt. Since being drafted in 2014, he played six games as a rookie, 14 in Year 2, four in Year 3 and one in Year 4. A preseason Achilles tear knocked him out of his fifth season.
The 49ers don’t have a ton of experience at cornerback, so Verrett could certainly win a starting job. If he does, and puts together a Pro Bowl year to help revitalize a struggling secondary, it’s completely reasonable to imagine him winning Comeback Player of the Year.
It would be a big deal for the 49ers to have one or both of these players in the conversation for the award. Getting big production at quarterback and corner alone would help them improve on last year’s disappointing campaign.
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