NFL comeback candidates: Saquon Barkley among veterans who could experience resurgence in 2024

Established veterans returning to their former star form – this doesn’t happen often in NFL, but when that happens, it’s a huge boost for any team. Which players who endured difficult and relatively unproductive seasons last year are lined up to bounce back in 2024?

Before I start, I didn’t include players who were simply injured for all or most of 2023. I can’t get away with it like that. These are players who had difficulties for other reasons. Alright, let’s get to the list.

Samuel was hardly a second-round NFL bust. And, heck, he began his time as a professional receiver less than a month after his 21st birthday in 2017, which in NFL years is about four decades ago.

But his time in Washington, like many others with him there, was a disappointment in terms of production, and it wasn’t entirely his fault. In 2021, Samuel battled a series of injuries. Then, over the past two seasons, he has hovered in the 60-catch, 600-yard range. At nearly 6-foot-2, 200 pounds with 4.31 speed and top-end explosiveness, obvious jet sweep, backfield and pre-snap alignment versatility, Samuel could be much better than a 60-catch, 600-yard wideout in this league.

Now he will catch passes from Josh Allen, who was QB1, QB1, QB2 and QB1 in fantasy football over the last four seasons. And Samuel enters Buffalo’s offense without Stefon Diggs. Only the Chargers have more “available” targets and percentage of 2023 targets to replace.

The icing on the cake – Samuel will be coordinated by Joe Brady. Why does this matter? Under Brady, during the coach’s first NFL role in 2020, the former Ohio State star had his best professional season to date – 77 receptions for 851 yards. Samuel is very much in line to have a career resurgence at age 28 in Buffalo.

Barkley almost reached 1,000 yards last season – which has become a true milestone in today’s NFL – but it came without much efficiency. His 3.9 yards per carry average was the second lowest full season the super-talented running back achieved. Heck, in 2021, Barkley averaged just 3.7 yards per. And today, this low average YPC will absolutely prevent any club from commanding football.

But fortunately for Barkley, jumping from New York to Philadelphia within the NFC East means he goes from one of the worst and most porous offensive lines, with essentially no continuity, to one of the best blocking collectives in football. Of course, no Jason Kelce is likely to cause some early-season growing pains, but the Eagles have prudently prepared for the post-Kelce era — Cam Jurgens should be able to do many of the same things Kelce did in changing the center position.

Last year, D’Andre Swift averaged 4.6 yards per and all of the Eagles’ backup rushers averaged more than 4.2 yards per. And, vitally, Barkley is not technically “old” by NFL running back standards, as he has yet to reach the dreaded age-28 season. Philadelphia will want to run this with Barkley and Jalen Hurts. Often. I expect well over 1,000 yards for Saquon, well north of 4.0 yards per bag in 2024.

Just a few years ago, Chinn was a prototype. A new-age model for what teams wanted and needed at the safety position. At 6-foot-2, 221 pounds with 4.45 speed and elite explosiveness traits, Chinn has proven capable of doing it all on the back seven. Covering tight ends in man, playing linebacker and stopping inside and outside runs, blitzing. He was tremendous as a rookie in 2020, finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting after a season of 117 tackles, five pass-breakups and two returns.

He surpassed 100 tackles in 2021, but then struggled with injuries and played a subpar defense without much help — other than Derrick Brown — around him in Carolina. In his final season with the Panthers, Chinn played just 27% of defensive snaps, primarily due to health issues.

And now he’s part of Dan Quinn’s acquisition in Washington under new ownership. And let’s just say Quinn has experience coaching productive safeties in his past, particularly safety-linebacker hybrids like Kam Chancellor, Keanu Neal and, most recently, Donovan Wilson and Markquese Bell in Dallas.

Chinn is just 26 years old. And Washington’s defense will be better than yours 26th place in DVOA a season ago – the club added a lot of key additions to that side of the ball this offseason. Chinn will be a key element in that improvement in 2024.

Davis was so incredibly productive in Tampa Bay that it almost got to the point where it was easy to take him for granted in that secondary. He had 19 pass breakups in his sophomore season and remained in double-digit range for the next four seasons before recording nine in 2023. But he had a pair of interceptions last season, his most since his four-pick campaign in 2020, and although it feels like Davis has been playing for a decade, he won’t turn 28 until December.

The former Auburn blocking corner certainly played on defenses with quality pass-rush units in Tampa Bay, but most of them were early in their pro careers, and we know how strong the marriage between pass rush and coverage is in the NFL . Last year, the Buccaneers had the 21st best pressure creation rate at 33.6%.

His new team, the Lions, ranked fourth at 41.6%, and Detroit added DJ Reader at nose tackle this offseason. The once-superstar cornerback, who has suffered injuries during his downturn, is primed to bounce back in 2024 in the Motor City as the club’s No. 1 defender.