After spending the 2018 season on the sideline, NFL Network's Bucky Brooks believes Jets running back Le'Veon Bell is a potential candidate for the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
"It's been a while since we've watched No. 26 dazzle as the ultimate offensive weapon," Brooks wrote. "The self-proclaimed RB1/WR2 is a Hall of Fame-caliber playmaker, with a career per-game average of 129.0 scrimmage yards, putting him in the same class as gold-jacket wearers like Jim Brown, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Bell's unorthodox running style lulls defenders to sleep, while his precise route-running skills and superb pass-catching ability give NFL defensive coordinators sleepless nights. With the Jets looking for an offensive threat to take some of the pressure off their young franchise quarterback (Sam Darnold), Bell has ample opportunity to remind the football world of his greatness."
Bell has been electric in his five seasons on the field, including a historic 2016 campaign. The dual threat became the most recent NFL back to average 100-plus rushing yards/game for a season (105.7) and the only one to average 100+ rush yards and 50+ pass yards (51.3). He also averaged 157.0 scrimmage yards/game, which makes him one of seven players to reach 150 scrimmage yards/game in a season and the most recent since Chris Johnson in 2009. For his career, Bell has averaged 129.0 yards from scrimmage/game.
