Top 5 NFL Bounce-Back Candidates

James Gladstone confirmed Travis Hunter will be a limited participant in the Jaguars offseason program with eyes on a full training camp return, and reporting suggests he'll be used strictly at corner in 2026 while the knee finishes healing. That frustration set up this week's list: Rich's Top 5 NFL players he wants to see bounce back in 2026.

Hunter didn't make the cut, but the conversation around him did. Rich wants a unicorn in the NFL. Two-way play at the highest level, the way Deion Sanders coached Hunter at Colorado and the way Hunter won the Heisman. The pro rebuttal is that meeting rooms and install structures make two-way impossible. Maybe. It's still a bummer if that's the answer.

Number five, James Conner. The Cardinals had no healthy answer at running back after he went down last year, and Rich wants to see Conner back in Mike LaFleur's new offense with a Comeback Player of the Year push in play.

Number four is a coupled entry. Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo, together, with Jackson Dart. Dart got on the field quicker than expected. He and Nabers connected for essentially one game before the injury. With John Harbaugh now in the building, Rich wants to see what a full season of that trio actually looks like.

Number three, Jayden Daniels. A dynamite rookie season followed by a disaster second year where he couldn't stay healthy and the team cratered. Rich just wants the guy from year one. Stay upright, let it rip.

Number two, George Kittle. You could pick any 49er, and Fred Warner jumps off the page, but Kittle is one of the best humans and best dudes in the league to root for. Get him back on the field.

Number one is the obvious one. Patrick Mahomes. The guy who blew out his knee and was playing good football when he got hurt, even if the Chiefs were going up and down all year. Rich's case is that the league didn't do well without Mahomes either. Get him back. Get the Chiefs back to new heights.

The bonus sixth pick landed the bit. Any Jet not named Breece Hall. Elijah Vera-Tucker made the list even though he isn't on the roster anymore. The coaching staff qualifies. Every last one of them. Hall already had one of his best seasons, so he's exempt, plus they tagged him.

The list tracks. Injury comebacks, quarterback redemption arcs, and one franchise-wide bounce back for the team Rich can never resist poking. Golf clap.