No shortage of bounce-back candidates

The NFL has an award for Comeback Player of the Year, usually for a player who returns from an injury. But the NFL doesn’t have an award for players who simply rebound from a poor performance. Let’s take a look at the best bounce-back candidates for the 2023 season:

■ Giants TE Darren Waller: He had a tough couple of years in Las Vegas, combining for 1,053 yards in 2021-22 after going over 1,100 yards in 2019 and 2020. But Waller has been thriving in Giants training camp, connecting with Daniel Jones for touchdowns seemingly every practice. Waller also has taken on a leadership role, chewing out the offense after a recent subpar practice, and impressing the coaching staff by racing downfield for a block. The 6-foot-6-inch Waller is going to be a huge weapon for Jones in the red zone and could be in line for a career renaissance at 31.

■ 49ers WR Deebo Samuel: He was the best multidimensional weapon in the NFL in 2021, going for 1,405 yards through the air (at 18.2 yards per catch), adding 365 yards on the ground, and scoring 14 total touchdowns. Last year, those numbers dropped precipitously — 632 receiving yards (at 11.3 per catch), 232 rushing yards, and 5 total touchdowns. Samuel has talked all camp about how disappointed he was in himself last year, and sent shirtless pictures to coach Kyle Shanahan all offseason to show how dedicated he was to training. Samuel may not find it easy to replicate his 2021 numbers, but he looks focused and angry.

■ Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield: This opportunity with the Buccaneers is probably Mayfield’s last shot to be a starter after being dumped by the Browns and Panthers last year. It’s not the worst spot for him. No one is expecting much from the Buccaneers in their first post-Tom Brady season, but Mayfield has two talented receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and the Buccaneers still have a disruptive defense led by Devin White, Vita Vea, Shaq Barrett, and Carlton Davis .If Mayfield can limit his interceptions, he could make a little noise.

■ Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks: The man who has gone for 1,000 yards for four teams had just 699 yards and three touchdowns last year for the woeful Texans. But now Cooks, who turns 30 in September, has a real quarterback in

Dak Prescott, and should see a lot of single coverage with CeeDee Lamb and

Michael Gallup lining up next to him.

■ Patriots QB Mac Jones: His numbers dropped across the board last year as he struggled to adapt to Matt Patricia’s offense. But now Jones has an experienced coordinator in Bill O’Brien, and a better slot receiver in JuJu SmithSchuster. The Patriots’ offensive line is a question, but the pieces are lined up for Jones to perform closer to his promising 2021 campaign than his disappointing 2022 one.

■ Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow: After being selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021, Renfrow caught just 36 passes for 330 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games last year as he dealt with a concussion and other injuries. Like Samuel, Renfrow has spoken all training camp about how disappointed he was in himself and how hard he is working this year. With teammates Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers expected to draw a lot of attention, Renfrow has a chance to reestablish himself as one of the game’s best slot receivers.

■ Browns QB Deshaun Watson: He sat out all of 2021 and was terrible last year in his six-game stretch. But Watson has had a full offseason to work with his teammates and master the Browns’ offense. Coach Kevin Stefanski also runs a QB-friendly system that helped Kirk Cousins put up big numbers in Minnesota, and helped Mayfield improve his completion percentage and passer rating significantly in Stefanski’s first season (2020). Watson was a superstar before his legal issues and has the opportunity to become one again.

■ Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore: He didn’t have a bad 2022 season for the Colts, securing two interceptions and 11 pass breakups in 16 games. But Gilmore didn’t make the Pro Bowl and was a bit of a forgotten man thanks to playing for an irrelevant team. Now Gilmore is a Cowboy, and though he’ll be 33 in September, he should still be an excellent lockdown corner opposite Trevon Diggs.

■ Titans WR DeAndre Hopkins: He hasn’t cracked 750 yards in the past two seasons, but mostly because he missed 15 games to injury and suspension. Hopkins still went for 79.7 yards per game last year, in line with his career averages. An 11-year veteran but only 31 years old, Hopkins is the clear No. 1 receiver for the Titans, whose play-action-heavy offense creates a lot of big plays, as Ryan Tannehill ranks fourth in the NFL in yards per attempt (7.91) over the last four seasons. Tannehill-to-Hopkins could be a nice connection in 2023.

■ Raiders DE Chandler Jones: He signed a three-year, $51 million contract last year, then played like one of the biggest busts in the NFL, securing just 4.5 sacks in 15 games. But Jones is more comfortable in Patrick Graham’s defense and should see plenty of oneon-one matchups working opposite

Maxx Crosby.

■ Broncos QB Russell Wilson: In just one year he has gone from the talk of the NFL to an afterthought this training camp. With declining numbers for two straight years, Wilson’s career is perhaps on the line as he seeks to prove that at 34 he still has plenty of good football left. Working in his favor is the fact he has a proven offensive coach in

Sean Payton, who once took a struggling youngster in Drew Brees and turned him into one of the most prolific passers in NFL history.