Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is the choice for AFC South comeback player of the year as voted on by the four reporters covering the division for ESPN.com.

Sarah Barshop, Houston Texans reporter: DeMarco Murray would win this award for most divisions, but Jadeveon Clowney's breakout season barely gets him the nod. After missing 15 games over his first two seasons, the former No. 1 overall pick was healthy in 2016, which was bad news for the AFC South. Though he played in 13 games last season, he had to leave multiple games while dealing with injuries and was not 100 percent healthy for most of the year. Clowney earned his first Pro Bowl selection, and was also named a second-team All-Pro selection. With three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt missing all but three games this season, Clowney’s performance was even more important to the Texans, and he stepped up to lead the NFL’s No. 1 defense to a second straight division title.

Michael DiRocco, Jacksonville Jaguars reporter: It would be hard to find anyone in the division who had a more miserable 2015 season than Luck. He suffered torn cartilage to two of his ribs, fractured ribs, a shoulder injury and a lacerated kidney. He played in only seven games, threw just 15 touchdown passes and won only two of those seven starts. After a full offseason to heal, Luck returned to form this season, throwing for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns (the second-highest total of his career) with 13 interceptions. He kept the Colts alive in the division race pretty much by himself all season despite deficiencies on defense and along the offensive line. If the Colts ever gave him a better-than-average offensive line and a few more defensive playmakers, Luck would have them challenging New England again.

Paul Kuharsky, Tennessee Titans reporter: The league award has gone to someone coming back from illness or injury eight of the last nine years. But Murray virtually disappeared in Philadelphia after signing as a free agent there in 2015, rushing for just 702 yards. It was quickly exposed as a bad match, with a poor meld between Murray's skill set and the Eagles' scheme. The Titans dealt virtually nothing to get Murray, put him back in a system like the one he excelled in with the Cowboys, and he was the NFL's third-leading rusher with 1,287 yards and a 4.4-yard average.

Mike Wells, Indianapolis Colts reporter: Luck went crashing down in 2015 with an assortment of injuries, including a lacerated kidney, that caused him to miss nine games. He also wasn't very effective when he did play, as he committed 13 turnovers and completed only 55.3 percent of his passes in the seven games he played. But Luck bounced back to complete a career-high 63.5 percent of his passes and finish fifth in touchdowns (31) and eighth in passing yards (4,240) in the league this season. Luck's improved play would have received more attention had the Colts not been a mediocre team that missed the playoffs for the second straight year.