Flacco wins Comeback Player of the Year for Browns' 4th award

Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco captured the 2023 Comeback Player of the Year award at the NFL Honors on Thursday.

Flacco, 39, joined the Browns in November after starting the season unsigned. He averaged over 300 yards per game across five starts while helping Cleveland reach the playoffs despite several major injuries.

The award marks the Browns' fourth honor of the evening. Head coach Kevin Stefanski was named Coach of the Year, defensive end Myles Garrett earned Defensive Player of the Year, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz received Assistant Coach of the Year.

Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Los Angeles Rams passer Matthew Stafford, and Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa were the other finalists for Comeback Player of the Year.

Hamlin had the most first-place ballots with 21, but Flacco earned the most points - 151 to Hamlin's 140 - with 13 first-place and 26-second place votes, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Flacco finished the campaign with 1,616 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in his five appearances. All of those marks were the highest on the team.

Awards only reflect regular-season performances, but Flacco continued to post big numbers in the team's postseason defeat. The veteran signal-caller had 307 yards and one touchdown against two interceptions in the club's loss to the Houston Texans.