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Every season there are teams that have their whole year ruined by injured players. Whether it’s a plethora of injuries to one position group, their starting quarterback or throughout the whole roster, this is something all NFL teams know is possible entering each new season. The positive side of that coin is that as a new season comes around, those injured players get healthy and return to the field looking to bounce back from lost seasons. For the following players, 2026 is an opportunity for not only them, but their teams to all bounce back from lost seasons and get back on the winning track. These Injured Players Could Have Big Comeback Years in 2026 3. Chris Godwin Jr., Wide Receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Honestly, Godwin Jr. could’ve been on this list each of the last two years. He’s played just 16 games over the last two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers while dealing with an ankle dislocation in 2024 and a fibula injury which nagged at him throughout 2025. The injury-riddled 2025 was a career low season across the board for him as he played in just nine games and tallied 33 catches for 360 yards and two touchdowns. Now at age-30, there’s a chance Godwin Jr. is never the same player he used to be again but that’s far from a given. In his last healthy season in 2023, Godwin posted 83 receptions for 1,024 yards despite only two touchdowns. He did this despite playing second fiddle to Mike Evans who has now departed as of this offseason to the San Francisco 49ers. The departure of Evans could definitely open up more opportunity for a bounce back season for Godwin Jr. especially with a pretty unproven receiver room beyond Emeka Ebuka. Baker Mayfield playing in a contract year will also surely have him motivated to be on his best level giving Godwin Jr. an even better chance at bouncing back, if health stays on his side. Godwin Jr.’s 2025 season was a microcosm of Tampa’s entire 2025 season with the injuries and disappointing outcome. Now they’re hoping that a bounce back 2026 for Godwin Jr. will be an indication of what’s to come for their team in 2026 as well. 2. Daniel Jones, Quarterback, Indianapolis Colts It was Nov. 9, 2025, when the Indianapolis Colts sat at 8-2 following a 31-25 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. Jones completed 19 out of 26 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown and interception a piece in that game. Just three weeks later the Colts were sitting at 8-4 after two straight losses before Jones would tear his Achillies in week 13 against the Jacksonville Jaguars ending his season. The Colts would lose that game 36-19 and go on to lose every game the rest of the season and miss the playoffs at 8-9. To say their fall-off was catastrophic would be an understatement but it also can’t be understated how much better this team looked when Jones was healthy. Before the injury, Jones had amassed 19 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns to go along with 3,101 passing yards in 13 games. He had 164 yards on the ground and had thrown eight interceptions to that point. Had Jones stayed healthy, he would have easily set a new career high in passing yards as well as touchdown passes. He was also on track for a new career high in completion percentage at 68.0%. He was also on track to set a career high in yards per pass attempt at 8.1, which further shows that Jones wasn’t just game managing but was making throws down the field for this Colts offense. Jones isn’t a perfect quarterback as he does turn the ball over too much and his mobility could be hindered especially in his first season back from an Achillies tear, but if he can return to anywhere near his 2025 form the Colts should be able to bounce back from what was a dreadful ending to the 2025 season. At only 29-years-old, Jones has very real Comeback Player of the Year potential in 2026 and the Colts will be hoping he lives up to that potential so that they can regain the 8-2 form they had to begin the 2025 season. 1. Jayden Daniels, Quarterback, Washington Commanders When it comes to injured players, the Washington Commanders take the cake for the 2025 season. They had 202 total games missed due to injuries, including 148 of those being from players who were placed on the Injury Reserve (IR). They began the season 3-2 before ending it 5-12 with Daniels missing 10 games along the way. Now, in 2026, Daniels and the Commanders are looking to bounce back into the NFC playoff race after a 2024 season in which they averaged 28.5 points per game and went 12-5 including a trip to the NFC Championship Game. Daniels, as a rookie that season, completed 69.0% of his passes while throwing for 3,568 yards and 25 touchdowns. He threw just nine interceptions and also ran 148 times for 891 yards and six more touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl, came 7th in MVP voting and won Offensive Rookie of the Year. Then, in 2025, he played in just seven games completing just 60.6% of his passes for 1,262 yards and eight touchdowns. He still didn’t turn the ball over much with just three interceptions. He missed his ten games throughout the season with knee, hamstring and elbow injuries before finally being shut down for good following week 14 in which he re-aggravated his elbow injury against the Minnesota Vikings. Daniels feels like one of the safest injured players in the league to bounce back in 2026 as long as his team stays even relatively healthy. He’s only 25-years-old and led his team to an NFC Championship as a rookie just two years ago. The Commanders have also put a solid supporting cast around him led by wide receivers Terry McLaurin and newly-acquired Stefon Diggs as well as newcomer at tight end Chig Okonkwo. They also have Jacory Croskey-Merritt and former Buccaneer Rachaad White to head the running back room. Health is never a sure thing in the sports, as the Commanders learned the hard way in 2025, but if Daniels and his teammates can stay on the field in 2026 Washington should be right back in the NFC playoff hunt. Main Photo Courtesy of Geoff Burke – Imagn Images