Though Comeback Player of the Year-worthy candidates via BetMGM has changed throughout the year, one name has remained constant in the top spot, and that’s Ben Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger and Patriots Cam Newton have emerged as the best bets to garner the coveted CPOY award. Given their 2019 seasons were rendered void due to injury, there are no two players better situated to achieve the comeback.
Here are the seven best bets for CPOY at BetMGM:
- Ben Roethlisberger +350
- Cam Newton +450
- Alex Smith +600
- Matt Stafford +800
- J.J. Watt +900
- Rob Gronkowski +900
- A.J. Green +1600
Smith winning the honor would make for a great story with all that he has been through. And while rumblings out of Washington have been positive so far, Smith was just cleared for football activity three weeks ago. Head coach Ron Rivera also named Dwayne Haskins the starter. Haskins produced a 2-7 record in nine starts in 2019 but played well enough to avoid the bench.
My bias leads me toward Roethlisberger taking CPOY honors over Newton, but there’s also logical reasoning behind it. Big Ben is heading into his 17th season with the Steelers, and Cam has been a Patriot for all of 67 days. It’s also worth noting that while Roethlisberger was setting franchise and career records in 2018 with a bum elbow, Newton was struggling to air the ball out due to shoulder and foot injuries.
The NFL CPOY award has gone to quarterbacks an astounding 12 times in the last 18 years. Should Roethlisberger earn the honor (it’s a long season that hasn’t even started yet), he’ll be the first Steeler to win the award since Tommy Maddox back in 2002.
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