Nick Foles for NFL Comeback Player of the Year? He must win Bears' quarterback job first

No member of the Chicago Bears has ever won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Could quarterback Nick Foles be the first in the 2020 season? He is among the betting favorites on the moneyline odds at William Hill with a price of +1200. Only six players have shorter odds to win it.

Quarterbacks win this award more often than not and have done so the past two seasons: Tennessee's Ryan Tannehill in 2019 and Indianapolis' Andrew Luck (since retired) in 2018. Tannehill simply was lousy with the Miami Dolphins in 2018 before resuscitating his career a year ago with the Titans after taking over for an ineffective Marcus Mariota. Luck, meanwhile, had missed the entire 2017 campaign due to surgery.

Foles obviously won't win this award if he's not playing, and he still must beat out Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job in training camp – new Bears receiver Ted Ginn Jr. thinks Trubisky will be the Week 1 starter. That there were no offseason activities due to the coronavirus would seem to work in Trubisky's favor since he has played the past two seasons in Coach Matt Nagy's offense.

Then again, Foles largely played in the same system while with the Chiefs and Eagles. Last year, he was limited to four games with Jacksonville. Foles broke his collarbone in Week 1, returned in November and got his starting job back briefly before being benched for then-rookie Gardner Minshew. The Jags traded Foles to Chicago this winter for a 2019 fourth-round pick. Jacksonville used that selection to take Miami (Fla.) linebacker Shaquille Quarterman.

Nagy has said that both Foles and Trubisky would get time with the starters this preseason, although if the NFL shortens the preseason to two games from four as expected that would also seem to work against Foles.

Currently, SportsLine NFL oddsmakers have Foles as the -250 favorite to start Week 1 in Detroit with Trubisky at +180. Trubisky has said he has been "motivated" by the trade for Foles, but what else is he supposed to say? The Bears already have turned down the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. 

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