Broncos WR Jordan Taylor: Players to watch at ‘Champ Camp’

The Denver Broncos have kicked off training camp once again as they prepare for the 2016 season. With Super Bowl 50 in the rearview mirror, the team is solely focused on the task ahead. Training camp is a time when players come out of nowhere, fade into the background or solidify themselves as key contributors for this Super Bowl caliber team.

With “Champ Camp” underway, there are several storylines that are going to unfold for us over the course of the next few weeks. Wide receiver Jordan Taylor is certainly a player for fans to watch when attending training camp at UCHealth Training Center.

A year without ‘Sunshine’

The Broncos picked up Taylor as an undrafted free agent out of Rice in 2015, but he didn’t make the final roster. Instead, Taylor spent a year developing on the team’s practice squad. With an eye for undrafted talent, the Broncos may have found another gem from the ranks of the college free agents. A fan favorite from Day One, Taylor quickly earned the nickname “Sunshine” for his long, flowing blond locks that sway outside of his helmet.

Taylor was a three-year starter for the Owls, piling up 175 career receptions for 2,585 yards (14.8 YPC) and 20 touchdowns. He made second-team All-Conference USA as both a junior and senior during his career at Rice. Taylor had a strong performance at the Rice’s pro day, running a 4.52 40-yard dash with a 36.5-inch vertical leap and 10-foot-2-inch broad jump.

His explosive talent shows through in the best parts of his game — deep route running. Taylor made dynamic deep catches as a rookie throughout rookie minicamp, OTAs and training camp in 2015. It was an easy call to keep him on the practice squad, and the Broncos are lucky another team didn’t steal him away last season.

Peyton helps

While waiting patiently for his opportunity, Taylor not only worked on the scout team but also caught passes from quarterback Peyton Manning as he was recovering from injury. It was a special and rare instance for a practice squad player like Taylor, but he’s taken full advantage of what Manning shared with him — even earning Manning’s endorsement as a player to watch in the future.

Taylor appreciates the time he spent with the future Hall of Fame quarterback.

“Working with Peyton last year was priceless. The things he taught me during his rehab is stuff that I’ll take the rest of my career and definitely in this camp,” Taylor said.

Manning’s stamp of approval certainly grabs your attention, but the young receiver is going to have to keep making plays to make the roster. In addition to making plays in practice, Taylor needs to show that he can be consistent and be counted on to move the chains.

‘The Catch’

In NFL lore, “The Catch” refers to a play with the San Francisco 49ers from back in the ‘80s. While Taylor is no Dwight Clark — and Mark Sanchez is no Joe Montana — the duo made a play that went viral in training camp last week.

VIDEO: Broncos WR Taylor makes amazing one-handed catch

Taylor was a bit speechless when talking about the catch.

“Honestly I just threw my hand up, and thank god for these gloves, it stuck in there. I haven’t seen it on film, so I’ll check it out here in a little bit,” Taylor said.

While he may not make those catches all the time, that play highlights the way that Taylor can make his mark on this offense. Taylor’s speed allows him to get by defenders, and his “my ball” mentality helps him make catches that others simply cannot.

How many to keep?

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak said at the media barbecue last week that this might be the most talented group of wide receivers he’s ever been around. The Broncos will certainly have some tough decisions when it comes to determining which receivers make the roster and how many they keep at the position.

This is going to be a run-heavy team in 2016, and there’s a chance the Broncos are at least a top-five team in rushing yards by the end of the season. Even though they’re going to run the ball early and often, the team might keep six wide receivers this year — which includes a return specialist like Jordan Norwood.

Taylor knows the competition at wide receiver is fierce.

“We have a lot of competition at the wide receiver position this year. There are a lot of guys that are really talented and have been playing for a while. Every day is just about coming out and getting a little better and trying to make a mark.”

Already a week through training camp, I feel that Taylor has done enough to make the 53-man roster as their fifth wide receiver. His skill set is somewhat unique for the group of wide receivers they have, and I’ve gotten a sense in talking to sources around the league that Taylor would not fall back to the Broncos practice squad if waived at the end of the preseason.

2016 observations

Taylor has to prove that he’s more than a “one-route” guy. The deep passes he can haul in and track with ease look great to the fans watching, but there are a lot of little things Taylor needs to improve if he wants to play up to his potential as a pro.

The young receiver needs to get on the same page with all of the Broncos quarterbacks. At this time, no player has been named the starter, and Taylor knows it’s important to work well with all three vying for the position.

“Obviously you want to get timing down with the guy that is going to be the guy, but we don’t know that yet,” Taylor said. “It’s just critical to get in there with every guy and make the most out of each rep.”

Taylor needs to improve his route-running ability. He looks great on deep targets where his speed gives him natural separation. However, there are too many times on shorter routes where his quickness isn’t good enough to break away from tight coverage. While Taylor is fast, he usually loses speed when he cuts. He’ll need to disguise his routes and sell the downfield routes in order to gain enough space to make clean catches and improve the run after the catch potential of shorter routes.

In addition to better route running, Taylor must show that he can make an impact as a special teams player.

“I’ve got to have a huge role on special team this year. It’s going to be an important factor on me making the 53-man roster,” Taylor said. “I have to play on all four phases. I’m looking forward to that and I’m trying to improve on that.”