Jordan Taylor, Broncos wide receiver
The skinny: An undrafted Rice product who worked his way from the practice squad to the active roster, Taylor has turned himself into a do-it-all player for the Broncos, capable of contributing in all three phases. This season Taylor played wide receiver, later took over the starting punt-return job despite never playing that position at all in his football career, served as an emergency safety and was tabbed as the emergency third-string quarterback.
The background: Taylor, known to most as “Sunshine,” earned the support of Peyton Manning in 2015 when he helped Manning recover from a foot injury that sidelined him late that season. Sunshine worked with Manning inside the Broncos’ field house, running route after route for the veteran QB during his rehab. “Jordan Taylor is going to surprise a lot of people for the Broncos next year, in my opinion,” Manning said in his retirement speech in March 2016.
Taylor’s take: “During the season I was inactive, then active — kind of up and down. So it was really just whatever I could do to get on the field, and hopefully they take notice of that and I can continue to do my job in those positions.”
Vance Joseph’s take: “Jordan has done a (heck) of a job for us (as a punt returner). It’s been three weeks now and Jordan’s been pretty flawless doing that job. That’s Jordan’s job. He’s earned that.”