Who is Jordan Norwood?
The storylines out of Denver these days have primarily focused around the possible deterioration of Peyton Manning and, as an extension, his primary receiving targets, as well as CJ Anderson’s status as the lead back. Amidst the next level of debates over the future value of Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Cody Latimer on the Broncos’ wide receiver depth chart has been the oversight of other options. However, journeyman Jordan Norwood has been making his case for a role in the offense and dynasty rosters.
As a freshman at Penn State in 2005 (where his father coached the secondary), the under-the-radar prospect caught 32 passes for 422 yards. He stepped up his game the following year with an appointment to the Academic All-Big Ten Team, securing 45 receptions for 472 yards with two touchdowns, while he also joined the Nittany Lions’ basketball team as a reserve guard. Focusing solely on football in his junior season, he caught 40 passes for 484 yards and five touchdowns and wrapped up his collegiate career with 41 receptions for 637 yards and six touchdowns in 2008. He actually sits in third place in Penn State’s record books with a total of 158 receptions.
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Norwood received an invitation to the 2009 NFL Combine, and the 5’11, 180-pound receiver performed well. He placed in the top ten among wide receivers with a 38-inch vertical leap (sixth), 4.20-second 20-yard shuttle (ninth) and 6.80-second 3-cone drill (ninth).
On the field, Norwood doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, but is solid in many areas. He is considered to be a reliable receiver, can accelerate well to get behind the defense and has a knack for making difficult catches. Combined with a strong work ethic, he is the type of receiver Peyton Manning has elevated in the past like Austin Collie or a young Andre Caldwell. He can also be an asset in the return game, though this is the assignment many have simply relegated him to at the NFL level.
School records, versatility and Combine metrics did not help his draft stock enough to merit a selection. Following the weekend, he inked a free agent deal with Cleveland, but was waived by the team as it cut its roster from 75 to 53 before the beginning of the season. Three weeks later, Norwood was signed to Philadelphia’s practice squad.
In December, he was promoted to the active roster, cut and re-signed within a nine-day period. Following the season he was signed to a three-year deal, but was waived just before the 2010 season began. Cleveland then gave him another shot and he spent most of the year on their practice squad. He was with the team until he was waived prior to the start of the 2013 season, at which point he signed with Tampa Bay until he was cut again three days later.
Norwood landed with Denver in the 2014 off-season and had a strong showing in training camp and preseason games. He caught a bad break when he tore his ACL and was placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the regular season, but he had shown enough that the Broncos chose to keep him rostered to see what he could do in 2015.
Still, heading into 2015, the soon-to-be 29-year-old receiver looked to be a longshot for the Broncos’ roster. The regime that kept him on board (John Fox and Adam Gase) left for Chicago and coming off injured reserve at his age with little career production to speak of provided him yet another uphill battle. He was generally considered to be buried behind Thomas, Sanders, Latimer, the veteran security blanket in Caldwell and rookie Jordan Taylor – that would have left him as the odd man out should the Broncos choose to roster only five receivers, particularly if the team no longer saw him as an option as a returner on special teams.
Finally healthy and proving he has fully recovered from his leg injury, Norwood put together a solid preseason with seven receptions (tied for second on the team) and 67 receiving yards (third), earning himself a spot on the 53-man roster while Taylor was signed to the practice squad. Rookie receiver Bennie Fowler led the team in preseason receptions and also made the roster, though he is expected to play almost exclusively on special teams. Interestingly, Norwood made the roster despite Sanders and safety Omar Bolden being named the starting punt and kick returners, respectively, indicating the Broncos plan to give Norwood enough snaps offensively to merit his spot.
Through two games, Norwood has worked as the primary receiver in the slot (with Sanders on the outside and Latimer squarely on the bench). His statistics (five receptions on ten targets for 39 yards) aren’t exactly eye-popping, but his place on the depth chart is clear and the rapport is building with Manning.
Having spent two seasons catching passes from Brock Osweiler in practice, Norwood also has chemistry with the Broncos’ projected quarterback of the future. Though he will turn 30 next season, his relative lack of snaps should combine with his slot-skillset to slow a decline in production.
That said, the ceiling from which he will decline was low to begin with. Norwood projects as no more than a flex play or bye week fill-in as he lacks the ball skills and explosiveness to merit more than a few targets a game. He has more value to an NFL team than a fantasy team given his versatility on special teams and potential as an occasional third-down option for his quarterback.
Norwood is nowhere to be found in September ADP, though his biggest impact may be to drop Latimer’s value (he’s currently the WR49 selected in the ninth round). He is still fighting with Andre Caldwell (as well as tight ends Owen Daniels and Virgil Green) for targets in the middle of the field and won’t produce consistently enough to deserve a spot at the end of your roster.
However, he will be a popular waiver-wire add should Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders miss any time, so it is a situation worth monitoring after Manning showed signs of life on Thursday night.
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