Honors such as Most Valuable Player and Coach of the Year highlight the list of NFL awards given after a long season. One annual award that doesn't get the same publicity is the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry won the award in 2015 after he returned from battling cancer. Who is most deserving of the Comeback Player of the Year this season?

Our NFL Nation team narrows the field to the top five candidates and makes a case for each player.

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Steelers: Bell's 1,884 total yards in 12 games merited Most Valuable Player consideration, earned him the Steelers' in-house MVP award as voted on by players and erased any doubts about his career trajectory after a bleak offseason. Bell recovered from two torn knee ligaments that cost him half the 2015 season, then navigated a second NFL substance-abuse violation and the perceptual black eye that followed. Teammates stood by Bell because of his well-known work ethic, and he rewarded that faith with a season for the ages, averaging a league-leading 157.0 yards from scrimmage per week. He shattered the franchise's single-game rushing record with 236 yards against Buffalo. His 6.25 receptions per game equates to 100 over a 16-game season, a feat three running backs in NFL history have accomplished. Bell's off-field history could damage his Comeback Player of the Year campaign, but his work on the field makes him a worthy candidate. At times this season, Bell carried the Steelers offense with swift cuts, patient running and reliability. --Jeremy Fowler, Steelers reporter

Jimmy Graham, TE, Seahawks: Graham ruptured his patellar tendon in November 2015 and spent all offseason rehabbing before making it back for the Seahawks' opener. Medical studies have shown that the patellar injury is one of the most difficult for NFL athletes to come back from, but Graham has put together a great season with 61 catches for 859 yards (third among tight ends) and six touchdowns. He's consistently made highlight-reel catches, and Graham's 14.1 yards per reception ranks first among tight ends (minimum 30 catches). "I'm excited because a lot of people didn't believe that I'd come back," Graham said earlier this season. "A lot of people just didn't believe that I'd be able to be me again. It means a lot because I put so much work in. When no one was watching, I was in the shadows working." -- Sheil Kapadia, Seahawks reporter

DeMarco Murray, RB, Titans: Murray said earlier this month he doesn't want the Comeback Player of the Year award. “Hopefully, not to me; hopefully it's for somebody else,” he said. “I don't know, I don't know. We'll see, I guess.” The award has often been about coming back from injury or illness, not the sort of down year Murray had after going to Philadelphia as a free agent. But the NFL's leading rusher from 2014 in Dallas dipped to 27th in Philadelphia in 2015 and has climbed back to third in Tennessee since he was acquired by the Titans via trade. He's been the lynchpin of the Titans' return to respectability, not just as an effective downhill runner, but as the team's third-leading pass-catcher and an excellent blocker for Marcus Mariota. -- Paul Kuharsky, Titans reporter

Jordy Nelson, WR, Packers: Early on in his return after missing all of 2015 because of a torn ACL, it looked like Nelson would have to reinvent himself as a possession receiver but as the season went on, his deep-ball prowess returned. There was the 60-yard pass to Nelson to set up the game-winning field goal against the Bears earlier this month. In the Packers' current five-game winning streak, Nelson has caught 81 percent of the passes Aaron Rodgers has thrown his way, averaging 11.2 yards per attempt. In the first 10 games, Rodgers completed just 56 percent of his passes to Nelson for an average 7.0 yards per attempt. All along, their connection was there in the red zone, and it's a big reason Nelson leads the NFL with 14 touchdown catches. All of this after Nelson didn't take a single game rep in the preseason. He went nearly 13 months off the game field from the time he blew out his knee in the 2015 preseason to his return for the 2016 regular-season opener. -- Rob Demovsky, Packers reporter

Cameron Wake, DE, Dolphins: One year ago Wake was immobilized with a long rehab ahead following an Achilles tear. No one -- not even the Dolphins -- expected this level of elite production from the veteran defensive end in 2016. Miami's coaches initially limited Wake coming off the bench to start the season. The thought process was to keep Wake, 34, fresh for meaningful games in December. Wake proved he can still handle the rigors of a full season. He leads the Dolphins with 11.5 sacks and made his fifth Pro Bowl. Wake hasn't lost his explosiveness after the Achilles injury and is having one of his better seasons late in his career. His bounce-back season also is one of the key reasons the Dolphins (10-5) made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. -- James Walker, Dolphins reporter