The San Francisco 49ers have gotten used to their star-studded roster receiving acclaim in the form of awards.

Christian McCaffrey won Offensive Player of the Year last season, while Nick Bosa was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2022.

And in the 2024 season, they have two contenders to add their name to that list.

Safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw are each considered outsiders to win an award that has long since had an opaque definition, the Comeback Player of the Year.

The criteria for wining the award is set to emphasize overcoming physical injury or illness from 2024 onwards, with previous winners Geno Smith (2022) and Joe Flacco (2023) causing something of a stir after turnarounds purely related to them reversing apparent career declines.

Both Hufanga and Greenlaw fit the bill for this coming season. Hufanga, a first-team All-Pro in 2022, is coming off a torn ACL he suffered in November last year. Greenlaw, meanwhile, is still recovering from the torn Achilles he sustained in a bizarre incident in the 49ers' Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Neither is seen by oddsmakers as likely to challenge for the award. Hufanga, per DraftKings Sportsbook, is given odds of +15000. Greenlaw is a +20000 shot to take home the award.

Greenlaw would unquestionably be the better story given the high-profile nature of his injury, which saw him tear his Achilles while running onto the field following a 49ers punt in the second quarter of the Super Bowl.

But, with no certain date for his return and a strong chance the linebacker starts the year on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, it is safety Hufanga who is most definitely the better bet.

Can't defend this any better.

Excellent from Hufanga, showing blitz, diagnosing the play fake, getting depth to his right and then closing to the checkdown.

Really impressive stuff from Greenlaw, too, taking CeeDee Lamb on the over. Light work for Lenoir plastering Noah Brown. pic.twitter.com/EKdBCqJ9Bu

— Nicholas McGee (@nicholasmcgee24) January 28, 2023

Hufanga is targeting a Week 1 return and, with the 49ers featuring in six primetime games in 2024, he could very much put himself in contention if he shines to the extent he did in 2022.

That was his first full season as a starter and saw him record four interceptions with one returned for a touchdown. He also had nine pass breakups, five tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles.

Hufanga had three interceptions last year before suffering his season-ending injury in a Week 11 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

His ability to recapture his best following the injury will be critical to a 49ers team very light on safety depth and, depending on how prolific he proves in creating splash plays, succeeding in doing so may make him a compelling candidate to end the quarterback dominance of Comeback Player of the Year.

The last six awards have gone to quarterbacks. No defensive player has won the award since Chiefs safety Eric Berry in 2015. Berry had an All-Pro season in 2015 having been diagnosed with cancer the previous December.

Hufanga's story is not close to being on the same level and, with the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins and Anthony Richardson all returning from serious injuries suffered last season, the likelihood is the award again goes to a quarterback.

But Hufanga has both a distinctive image and a play style that lends itself to highlight reel plays. He will consistently be under national spotlight this season, and the more splash plays he makes, the better his chances will be of upsetting the odds. 

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