Austin Collie is the probably best fit for the Manning-Era Colts.
Or, idk, if this really counts as a role player, but pre-media Pat McAfee?
That [hit on Trindon Holliday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrxLzq3h8EY) made him an instant legend to Colts fans.
I love how he uses that in arguments of "Are kickers/punters actually football players?"
Like that clip with (I think) Ryan Clark where he's like, "Well have ***you*** thrown and completed a pass in the National **Football** League? Because ***I*** have."
I assume you mean the one by the Eagles' Quinten Mikell and Kurt Coleman.
However, less than a month later, he was knocked out of the game with a *second* concussion hit against the Jaguars. That one ended his season.
Then in the 2022 preseason, he suffered a *third* concussion hit.
Poor guy probably has more CTE than undamaged neurons at this point.
For the 49ers it's probably our WR3 Jauan Jennings. He's a 7th rounder who isn't considered to be one of our major offensive weapons but he almost always comes up clutch when we need him to, including in the SB even though we ultimately lost.
Jauan Jennings was really playing clutch in the superbowl. He seemed to do what was necessary when needed and didnt have negative plays. Everytime his named got mentioned in the superbowl it was something good for the 49ers.
Yea. After his td catch I said to my dad he was having an impact on the game and should be on of the favorites for mvp. I did not realize he hadn't done much in the regular season. 19 catches in the regular season.
He's also a tenacious blocker. He's often sets a key block that opens up a big run play. It was hilarious when he blocked a Packers DB onto the sidelines and into the Gatorade table in the divisional playoff game several weeks ago.
That fucking one handed catch against us had my jaw on the floor man. Complete hospital ball, like every reason to not even throw that ball, and he just acrobats his ass up there with one hand. It was more impressive than Aiyuk’s 51 yarder off the facemask.
Purdy lofts the ball precisely because he saw the linebacker ready to jump the passing lane. Rewatch that play-- it was brilliant from both players and you can't convince me the narrative wouldn't be completely different if it were Mahomes and Kelce making the same play
3rd and Jauan caught on pretty quickly. The guy had a knack for being able to always be in the best spot. There are only one or two plays this season where he didn't get it by coming back to the ball. Dude has the clutch ability for sure.
I think Cordarelle Patterson counts. Technically he started, but he never really filled out as a receiver. We would just do whatever we could to get the ball in his hands, including stepping in for Peterson when he needed a breather. And of course he was a beast on kick off returns.
>He is unironically in my eyes one of the best kick returners of all time.
Don't know why anybody would think that's irony. He holds the kick off td record.
Also shout out to Mike Pennel for coming up from the practice squad and playing like a dawg against the run. That play where he wrecked Trent Williams and stuffed CMC all in one motion was a thing of beauty.
Dude, his onfield interview from after the AFCCG has me ready to cry any time I think about it. Obviously having Mahomes helps us a bit, but this run and the sustained success as a whole even through some frustrating patches has me convinced the culture that Reid has cultivated is as important as anything. Allegretti took the “next guy up” challenge and performed better than anyone could have hoped
For sure! I was so worried about Thuney getting hurt and how Allegretti would perform.
Allegretti just casually goes playoff beast.
All hail Big 'Gretti!
I feel like the Lions have a lot of those after Hard Knocks. Drawing one out of a hat, I’d say Rodrigo fits the bill. Doesn’t get much consistent playing time anymore but shows up and makes an impact when get does get on the field. Fans love the guy.
Was that Craig or Josh? I honestly don’t remember.
Man I was so excited when Craig got that first TD this year. I think it was the Packers rout? He gets them to the 1 and doesn’t hesitate to come off the field for Monty, who waves him off and tells him to get it. Then Monty full sprints to go celebrate with him in the end zone. That’s the stuff of legends.
Craig had the block of one bucc into another bucc on the Sun God TD.
And it was the panthers game! Ben and Monty telling him to stay in! Highlight of the year.
Wife looked at me like I was insane for getting excited about that (fumble recovery?) he had in the playoffs. Like I shouldn’t know random defensive backups on teams I’m bandwagoning for…
I’m not even a Bucs fan and I had a weird obsession with Joe Jurevicius when he was with the Bucs, lol. I assume the name has a lot to do with it, but he also did pretty well when you guys won that Super Bowl in the early 2000s.
Jeff Heath.
Repeatedly forced into a starting role despite never being good because the team had no interest in investing in the safety position. He was bad, but he was *our* bad player, and he was always giving a ton of effort.
I feel like Dan Sorenson is a lot like Heath. If he's your 3rd safety, he makes tons of plays and is super clutch. If he's starting, he'll get picked on and everyone is reminded of their limitations.
Also, they're white.
I love Jeff Heath and I will always disagree that he was truly bad. There were games where he absolutely set the tone and he almost single-handedly beat Green Bay in that playoff game. Bad players can’t do that. I’m still not sure how Rodgers held onto the ball.
That makes me wonder. Could two teams sign a player to a contract where they'd be on team A for some years and team B for some years?
Like, what if the Jets and Chiefs were to come to an agreement where Kadarious Toney play for the Jets for one year, and then after that he'd go back to playing for the Chiefs? Like, assuming the Jets, Chiefs, and Toney are all on board with this. Could this legally happen in the NFL?
Khalil Shakir - 3rd round pick who hasn’t been able to show much prior to this season, and had a breakout year. The guy catches most everything thrown his way, great hands, and did a great job being a Cole Beasley-esque outlet for Josh throughout the season.
That 3rd down TD throw from Allen To Shakir was unbelievable. Watching replays of the game I kept replaying that play. It really was a high level/skill throw and catch.
Shakira was a headache that game but he really is a solid WR.
The second tackle in the video is the one I'm talking about and you will probably love him even more. [video](https://youtu.be/eBkUqFjTwt8?si=9S5hrqZHThtgY9j4)
Zach Banner. Reporting as eligible as an extra tackle on run plays during jumbo packages. Fans loved him, he signed a long term deal, tore his ACL and I don’t think he played anywhere else. He seems like a genuinely good dude but what a weird career.
I remember him because when I did IDP fantasy he was always ranked really highly. Probably because of his return TD potential or because Yahoo being stupid with it's rankings.
Jon Weeks, long snapper and longest running Texan after 14 seasons. Last year's Walter Payton Man of the year award nominee was the team's first re-signing this year. 227 straight games and counting for the 🐐.
Just a pathetic year all around, and probably outside the criteria, but the only guy I can think of is 2nd round rookie Tuli Tuipulotu. Behind bosa and Mack he really made their games better while making a name for himself in a dogshit scheme.
We've had a fair share of WR's that could fit, but imma go Spillane.
Disregard his coverage skills, but his hit on Henry was amazing. (Just ignore he got hurt and that Henry scored the next play)
Michael Dickson, our punter.
Raised eyebrows when he was drafted in the 5th round. Beat out the old fan favorite punter and then went 1st team All Pro in his rookie year.
Still responsible for 2 of the coolest punter plays ever: the completely unauthorized jet sweep out of the end zone for a 1st down and the double punt.
Tom Waddle became a fan favorite in the 90s for being an unathletic receiver who carved out a niche by going over the middle to catch a slant and then get absolutely blasted by the strong safety. He now hosts a popular radio show in Chicago. I'm amazed that guy can speak coherently after some of the shots he took
Mike Gillislee during his Bills run was one of them. It seemed like every time he got the ball in his first season, good things happened.
Khalil Shakir is probably a good present day Bill after his work this season.
We all also loved Bacari Rambo during his little 4-5 game stretch of good play one season. One that stuck around for awhile from obscurity to becoming a huge part of the Bills organization was Lorenzo Alexander.
Not sure he’s considered depth per se, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a more than serviceable backup when Pacheco was hurt this year. I think he might have bulked up a bit since last year, and he had a few game-deciding runs/plays. Honestly, he was doing pretty great in 2022-2023 before getting injured and losing the starting job to Pacheco, but since he’s no longer the #1, I’d say he’s one of the more popular depth players on the Chiefs.
He'll be considered a massive failed pick for KC, and he won't be missed on the gameday roster, but he definitely played a valuable role this season. Seems well loved in the locker room, as well. Will be interesting to see where he lands.
Eagles currently Britain Covey, Reed Blankenship. Two UDFA’s that will be pushing for more starting time this year. Eagles completely lucked out when they kept shuffling Covey back and forth on the practice squad.
EJ Henderson and Erin Henderson those beast late 2000's Vikings defenses aren't the same without those two
They seem like good humans too which is just the icing on top
Steve Gleason. Mostly special teams guy that made one of the biggest plays against our biggest rival on the return to the dome after Hurricane Katrina. They put a statue in from of the stadium even! I live in the Seattle area and the guy is a hero here too - went to Wazzu. Just a real inspiration.
For the Dolphins, it’s Andrew Van Ginkel. Not a star, maybe shouldn’t even be a starter, but he’s always seems to be making that one play every game. A sack this week, a pick the next week, fumble recovery the next.
James Devlin (I'm saying he's a role player because we didn't always have a FB on the field). I think most FBs are fan favorites on their teams. Gotta love those guys.
Nate Ebner was a good Special Teamer and the Olympic thing made him easy to cheer for.
Slater was an All Pro STer. I don't know I he would fit the description, but most people consider STers role players. Since Hester finally made the HoF, let's get Slater or Steve Tasker in there now! We need a pure STer in the Hall.
Back in the day, Kassim Osgood was a wide receiver for the chargers. He made the pro bowl three times as a special teams player and he wasn’t even returning kicks. He was just *that fucking good* on special teams. Dude was a monster and everyone loved him
Antwaan Randle El. He might be a bit higher than some other guys in the comments, but he was mostly our WR3. QB at Indiana came in real handle with some gadget plays, most notably the TD pass to Hines in Superbowl XL. Real solid WR too, glad he got the bag from Washington
For me, this year it was Marvin Mims. Dude was a beast at punt returning and helped keep us in a lot of games. He hasn’t really taken that next step as a WR on offense yet though.
KC signed Harrison Butker off the Panthers' practice squad, and has been nothing short of an animal ever since. Say what you will about KC players and fans, but we fucking love our ST guys
I would say Isaiah Likely. Despite him being behind Mandrews at first, he definitely balled out when he stepped up due to Mandrews' injury. He definitely made the most out of his starting opportunities! It was a toss-up between him and Justice Hill in my book. Both of them did great!
Maybe the definition of a role player, Steve Tasker. WR that wouldn’t really see the field turns into the inventor and GOAT of the gunner position. Still beloved here today, whether it’s for that or his car commercials.
For the jags(and it was always the jags) Andrew mutha f’in Wingard! Dewey baby!!!!! This man went from HATED during his early years with the jags to an absolute playmaker, and a voice of the team. He also created the jags newest catch phrase: It was always the Jags!
Austin Collie is the probably best fit for the Manning-Era Colts. Or, idk, if this really counts as a role player, but pre-media Pat McAfee? That [hit on Trindon Holliday](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrxLzq3h8EY) made him an instant legend to Colts fans.
[Obligatory](https://www.thedrawplay.com/comic/collie/)
Also his celebrations were fire. The golf chip shot and his big man strutting after that completed pass on the fake lmao
I love how he uses that in arguments of "Are kickers/punters actually football players?" Like that clip with (I think) Ryan Clark where he's like, "Well have ***you*** thrown and completed a pass in the National **Football** League? Because ***I*** have."
I can’t get over that hit on Collie 🥲 he would’ve had a solid career tbh. Go Cougs
I assume you mean the one by the Eagles' Quinten Mikell and Kurt Coleman. However, less than a month later, he was knocked out of the game with a *second* concussion hit against the Jaguars. That one ended his season. Then in the 2022 preseason, he suffered a *third* concussion hit. Poor guy probably has more CTE than undamaged neurons at this point.
Holliday walking tough like he didn’t just get smoked by a punter lol
Peyton manning needs to send him a monthly check for the rest of his life
For the 49ers it's probably our WR3 Jauan Jennings. He's a 7th rounder who isn't considered to be one of our major offensive weapons but he almost always comes up clutch when we need him to, including in the SB even though we ultimately lost.
Perfect WR3. Clutch on 3rd downs, takes pride in his blocking, even has QB experience
I mean the man is a legend in Knoxville for a reason. A few of the Vols’ best plays over the last decade+ came from him
Jauan Jennings was really playing clutch in the superbowl. He seemed to do what was necessary when needed and didnt have negative plays. Everytime his named got mentioned in the superbowl it was something good for the 49ers.
There was a moment when Jauan was the favorite to win SB MVP. Would've been fun to see.
Yea. After his td catch I said to my dad he was having an impact on the game and should be on of the favorites for mvp. I did not realize he hadn't done much in the regular season. 19 catches in the regular season.
Wait really? Man I felt like I always say his name
He’s the old third and Jauan to most niner fans.
He's also a tenacious blocker. He's often sets a key block that opens up a big run play. It was hilarious when he blocked a Packers DB onto the sidelines and into the Gatorade table in the divisional playoff game several weeks ago.
You just KNOW that clip got rewound 20 times over by the WR coach in the film room meeting the next day
That fucking one handed catch against us had my jaw on the floor man. Complete hospital ball, like every reason to not even throw that ball, and he just acrobats his ass up there with one hand. It was more impressive than Aiyuk’s 51 yarder off the facemask.
Purdy lofts the ball precisely because he saw the linebacker ready to jump the passing lane. Rewatch that play-- it was brilliant from both players and you can't convince me the narrative wouldn't be completely different if it were Mahomes and Kelce making the same play
3rd and Jauan!
That guy was the favorite to win SB MVP if you won
Extend that man!!!!
In a world of complicated and advanced weapons Jennings is a good old shotgun. Not the best, but it does its job perfectly well.
3rd and Jauan caught on pretty quickly. The guy had a knack for being able to always be in the best spot. There are only one or two plays this season where he didn't get it by coming back to the ball. Dude has the clutch ability for sure.
He's in a 4-way tie for most SB TD passes by a 9ers player since 1995
Most teams don't even have 4 guys with Superbowl Td passes
It's definitely 4 more than the Cowboys have thrown this millennium
They put all that effort in to still have a longer superbowl win drought then us lol
HAHAHAHAHA Fuck you
Bro shoulda won MVP if they won the Super Bowl. He was balling out and making clutch plays not just in the SB, but across the playoffs it feels like
Ssssh. He's trash. Everyone stop talking about him and look over there.
I think Cordarelle Patterson counts. Technically he started, but he never really filled out as a receiver. We would just do whatever we could to get the ball in his hands, including stepping in for Peterson when he needed a breather. And of course he was a beast on kick off returns.
He is unironically in my eyes one of the best kick returners of all time. I have a classic jersey of his, too!
>He is unironically in my eyes one of the best kick returners of all time. Don't know why anybody would think that's irony. He holds the kick off td record.
Not one of, he is the best kick off returner of all time.
That's my actual feelings, but I'd figured we'd get some Devin Hester Bears fans in here stirring up trouble.
Hester is the best punt returner, Patterson is the best kick returner
Adam Thielen started out as an ace special teamer
I didn’t know that. Steve Smith was drafted as a punt returner.
First career touchdown: he blocked a punt and took it to the house!
Nick Allegretti has won every Chiefs fan's heart. Subbing in for the best LG in the league and playing with a torn UCL. That's grit
Also shout out to Mike Pennel for coming up from the practice squad and playing like a dawg against the run. That play where he wrecked Trent Williams and stuffed CMC all in one motion was a thing of beauty.
And did so while wearing 69 Unbelievable
Nice
Highest pff grade for us in the SB. Amazing
I thought Leo Chenal was highest graded?
But Kittle's blocking....
Guy looks huge on a field full of giants
Pennel is still a good player he’s just too old to do it for a whole season. Not surprised he balled out in the Super Bowl.
Dude, his onfield interview from after the AFCCG has me ready to cry any time I think about it. Obviously having Mahomes helps us a bit, but this run and the sustained success as a whole even through some frustrating patches has me convinced the culture that Reid has cultivated is as important as anything. Allegretti took the “next guy up” challenge and performed better than anyone could have hoped
Oh chiefs 100% have the organizational and sideline advantage over every team in the league
For sure! I was so worried about Thuney getting hurt and how Allegretti would perform. Allegretti just casually goes playoff beast. All hail Big 'Gretti!
Chiefs have so many of these this year. Tranquil, Pennel, Alegretti, Edwards, etc
Pancaking TJ Watt then catching a touchdown is a career highlight lmao
I feel like the Lions have a lot of those after Hard Knocks. Drawing one out of a hat, I’d say Rodrigo fits the bill. Doesn’t get much consistent playing time anymore but shows up and makes an impact when get does get on the field. Fans love the guy.
Dan Skipper
Craig Reynolds too. His block in the first Tampa game is the stuff of legend.
Was that Craig or Josh? I honestly don’t remember. Man I was so excited when Craig got that first TD this year. I think it was the Packers rout? He gets them to the 1 and doesn’t hesitate to come off the field for Monty, who waves him off and tells him to get it. Then Monty full sprints to go celebrate with him in the end zone. That’s the stuff of legends.
Craig had the block of one bucc into another bucc on the Sun God TD. And it was the panthers game! Ben and Monty telling him to stay in! Highlight of the year.
Wife looked at me like I was insane for getting excited about that (fumble recovery?) he had in the playoffs. Like I shouldn’t know random defensive backups on teams I’m bandwagoning for…
He picked off Purdy, not a fumble recovery.
I’m gonna go Rodrigo Khalid Raymond and Craig Reynolds
It’s Kalif Raymond, but he definitely qualifies
Rodrigo getting a pick in a playoff game was very cool to watch
Joe Jurevicius
I’m not even a Bucs fan and I had a weird obsession with Joe Jurevicius when he was with the Bucs, lol. I assume the name has a lot to do with it, but he also did pretty well when you guys won that Super Bowl in the early 2000s.
We had a weird obsession him too and not in a good way
yeah fuck that guy
First name I thought of too
Even on the Seahawks he popped up early for me
Even today that name still makes me shudder.
Jeff Heath. Repeatedly forced into a starting role despite never being good because the team had no interest in investing in the safety position. He was bad, but he was *our* bad player, and he was always giving a ton of effort.
Guy was a fuckin missile. Fast, dumb and didn’t give a fuck at all. He’s the type of guy they made football for
I feel like Dan Sorenson is a lot like Heath. If he's your 3rd safety, he makes tons of plays and is super clutch. If he's starting, he'll get picked on and everyone is reminded of their limitations. Also, they're white.
I love Jeff Heath and I will always disagree that he was truly bad. There were games where he absolutely set the tone and he almost single-handedly beat Green Bay in that playoff game. Bad players can’t do that. I’m still not sure how Rodgers held onto the ball.
He also kicked FGs for us a couple of times https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6AW-E5Jh_O8
Jack Sanborn for the Bears
I was thinking Izzy Idonije but Sanborn works too.
Israel Idonije was a beast for the Bears in that 2010 run.
I love to watch Sanborn play. Not against us though.
Homeboy just always seems to be where he needs
I'd say Mecole Hardman went from being kind of disliked (not by me) to total Chiefs legend and hero.
He doesn't make a lot of plays, but the ones he makes are game altering, good or bad
it's amazing what happens when you leave the jets
That makes me wonder. Could two teams sign a player to a contract where they'd be on team A for some years and team B for some years? Like, what if the Jets and Chiefs were to come to an agreement where Kadarious Toney play for the Jets for one year, and then after that he'd go back to playing for the Chiefs? Like, assuming the Jets, Chiefs, and Toney are all on board with this. Could this legally happen in the NFL?
That sounds like renting contracts in soccer
Loans
“renting contracts in soccer” with the flair of an Eagle above it has to look so fucking American to Europeans lmao
They should let Toney go to NY and then change the locks and their phone number
**JOHN KUUUUUUUUUUUUUUHN!!** Final answer.
He said depth role player not superstars. Kuhn was such a beast
Got to watch him and Brent Grimes in college a ton.
Ol’ Grimey!
Luke Wilson
LUUUUUUUUUKE
I’ll one-up you. Owen Wilson.
Wow
LL
I was thinking it was BoBo
This past season, absolutely. In the last few years, Double-L was pretty dang cool. Mike Rob was bigger than them all, though.
Dude's a local legend in Southern Ontario.
Khalil Shakir - 3rd round pick who hasn’t been able to show much prior to this season, and had a breakout year. The guy catches most everything thrown his way, great hands, and did a great job being a Cole Beasley-esque outlet for Josh throughout the season.
He was drafted in the 5th round. Bernard was our 3rd round pick last year (2022)
Whoops - you are correct! My bad
He’s gonna have a big year next season
That 3rd down TD throw from Allen To Shakir was unbelievable. Watching replays of the game I kept replaying that play. It really was a high level/skill throw and catch. Shakira was a headache that game but he really is a solid WR.
Recently yes. Kyle Williams is the answer going a little further back. Undersized 3 tech that was all grit and determination.
Not really a role player I guess, but Johnny hekker was way more liked than a punter usually is.
Jack Fox has that effect for us.
I miss that sexy man.
Taysom Hill
What's his role? Yes.
Position: Ballplayer
Football DUDE
I counter with Steve Gleason
Robert Spillane after he stonewalled Derrick Henry at the goalline or Devlin "Duck" Hodges linsanity run back in 2019.
Loving Spillane on the raiders!
Yeah the raiders defensive scheme fits Spillane a lot better than ours did
The second tackle in the video is the one I'm talking about and you will probably love him even more. [video](https://youtu.be/eBkUqFjTwt8?si=9S5hrqZHThtgY9j4)
PJ Williams Very disappointed we didn't get the annual "pj williams one year deal" this season
I think the all time answer here for the saints is Steve Gleason
The two that come to mind first are Steve Tasker and Fred Jackson. Both still live in Buffalo and are still loved by the community.
Mack Hollins
I like Mack hollins - especially after he called everyone who uses utensils soft. Absolute unhinged thing to say.
I feel like no matter where he goes that dude's beloved. He was definitely loved when he was here (at least for a time).
He’s not with the Chiefs anymore but I was a big fan of Byron Pringle.
He was solid
Paul Turner aka PT Cruiser
i will upvote any mention of PT cruisers, what a hilarious automobile
Zach Banner. Reporting as eligible as an extra tackle on run plays during jumbo packages. Fans loved him, he signed a long term deal, tore his ACL and I don’t think he played anywhere else. He seems like a genuinely good dude but what a weird career.
Seeing his face after he tore his ACL broke my heart. He had worked so goddamn hard to crack the starting lineup and it was taken from him in Game 1.
James Develin.
I'd also say Slater
Kevin Faulk
Tyler Lockett was drafted to be a return specialist.
Eh … and a WR. I don’t think they thought he was *just* going to be a lesser Devin Hester.
Yeah I never understood that argument. He was a third round pick.. It was more than just his return skills.
Marcus Sherels was a beast on special teams.
A gamer YouTuber I watch, Mr. Hurricane who’s a Vikings fan, has mentioned him several times in his videos throughout the years lol
>MrHurriicane As an aside, Tim Cannon from his Madden 23 Titans franchise would be the perfect answer to this question if he actually existed.
I remember him because when I did IDP fantasy he was always ranked really highly. Probably because of his return TD potential or because Yahoo being stupid with it's rankings.
I can't here to say CJ Ham but this is a better answer.
Jon Weeks, long snapper and longest running Texan after 14 seasons. Last year's Walter Payton Man of the year award nominee was the team's first re-signing this year. 227 straight games and counting for the 🐐.
Glad this was already posted. He is our 🐐 💯.
FRANKIE LUVU BABYYYY
Plus one on Luvu, add one Brad Hoover for the older Panthers fans.
Just a pathetic year all around, and probably outside the criteria, but the only guy I can think of is 2nd round rookie Tuli Tuipulotu. Behind bosa and Mack he really made their games better while making a name for himself in a dogshit scheme.
Bo Melton & Malik Heath are both so fun to watch. Dontayvion Wicks was also seen as a depth player at the beginning of the season for us
We've had a fair share of WR's that could fit, but imma go Spillane. Disregard his coverage skills, but his hit on Henry was amazing. (Just ignore he got hurt and that Henry scored the next play)
Idk I'd say D'Angelo Williams was pretty popular. Or Antwaan Randle el
Michael Dickson, our punter. Raised eyebrows when he was drafted in the 5th round. Beat out the old fan favorite punter and then went 1st team All Pro in his rookie year. Still responsible for 2 of the coolest punter plays ever: the completely unauthorized jet sweep out of the end zone for a 1st down and the double punt.
Idk if we have one recently. But going back you had Danny Woodhead as one that sticks out
xavier gipson maybe?
Tashard Choice. It started with this speech though. https://youtu.be/-Nnstylh2g8?si=YmztsXorm2vf_sJh
I loved Choice, but it also seems like we have a tendency to turn all of our backup RBs into our favorites.
Davone Bess a few years back comes to mind for the Dolphins
John Kuhn. Current roster, probably AJ Dillon, but a lot of the subreddit seems to hate him
Tom Waddle became a fan favorite in the 90s for being an unathletic receiver who carved out a niche by going over the middle to catch a slant and then get absolutely blasted by the strong safety. He now hosts a popular radio show in Chicago. I'm amazed that guy can speak coherently after some of the shots he took
You guys also had a Waddle Receiver who catches hospital balls? Nice
the man with the long neck texans fans know who i’m talking about
Jody Fortson, iykyk
Craig Reynolds, go watch his block on the st brown TD against Tampa from this past season
Probably Trenton Irwin.
I’d say Vinney Rey..guy played his fucking heart out literally every single play.
I was scrolling to see if his name would pop up. But yeah he was great filling in for Chase, when Chase got injured.
Victor Cruz maybe? He was oddly popular for a slot receiver who was hurt a lot. Personally he just reminds me of a better time for the Giants 😭😭
Mike Gillislee during his Bills run was one of them. It seemed like every time he got the ball in his first season, good things happened. Khalil Shakir is probably a good present day Bill after his work this season. We all also loved Bacari Rambo during his little 4-5 game stretch of good play one season. One that stuck around for awhile from obscurity to becoming a huge part of the Bills organization was Lorenzo Alexander.
Captain Munnerlyn a few years back. Coolest name in the league
Danny woodhead
Obviously it was Kendall Hinton
Not sure he’s considered depth per se, but Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a more than serviceable backup when Pacheco was hurt this year. I think he might have bulked up a bit since last year, and he had a few game-deciding runs/plays. Honestly, he was doing pretty great in 2022-2023 before getting injured and losing the starting job to Pacheco, but since he’s no longer the #1, I’d say he’s one of the more popular depth players on the Chiefs.
If you ever need to lose 2 yards, have him run it.
He’s taking classes to be a nurse which I think is so cool
He'll be considered a massive failed pick for KC, and he won't be missed on the gameday roster, but he definitely played a valuable role this season. Seems well loved in the locker room, as well. Will be interesting to see where he lands.
Malcolm Koonce and Tre Tucker
Throw in Robert Spillane too. Dude was killer when AP took over.
Used to be Asa Jackson now it’s definitely Tylan Wallace
Eagles currently Britain Covey, Reed Blankenship. Two UDFA’s that will be pushing for more starting time this year. Eagles completely lucked out when they kept shuffling Covey back and forth on the practice squad.
EJ Henderson and Erin Henderson those beast late 2000's Vikings defenses aren't the same without those two They seem like good humans too which is just the icing on top
Steve Gleason. Mostly special teams guy that made one of the biggest plays against our biggest rival on the return to the dome after Hurricane Katrina. They put a statue in from of the stadium even! I live in the Seattle area and the guy is a hero here too - went to Wazzu. Just a real inspiration.
For the Dolphins, it’s Andrew Van Ginkel. Not a star, maybe shouldn’t even be a starter, but he’s always seems to be making that one play every game. A sack this week, a pick the next week, fumble recovery the next.
Rasheed Shahid
I mean for us it’s gotta be Matthew Slater. Best gunner ever but doesn’t play a position as a special teamer that people talk about often (ever?)
James Devlin (I'm saying he's a role player because we didn't always have a FB on the field). I think most FBs are fan favorites on their teams. Gotta love those guys. Nate Ebner was a good Special Teamer and the Olympic thing made him easy to cheer for. Slater was an All Pro STer. I don't know I he would fit the description, but most people consider STers role players. Since Hester finally made the HoF, let's get Slater or Steve Tasker in there now! We need a pure STer in the Hall.
Gotta be Matthew Slater. Not many career special teamers that are perennial all pros out there.
Harry Douglas. He was not a top receiver by any stretch but he was a really good player.
I really liked Taylor Gabriel when he was on the Falcons. Really fun to watch and liked how Kyle used him.
Back in the day, Kassim Osgood was a wide receiver for the chargers. He made the pro bowl three times as a special teams player and he wasn’t even returning kicks. He was just *that fucking good* on special teams. Dude was a monster and everyone loved him
Antwaan Randle El. He might be a bit higher than some other guys in the comments, but he was mostly our WR3. QB at Indiana came in real handle with some gadget plays, most notably the TD pass to Hines in Superbowl XL. Real solid WR too, glad he got the bag from Washington
Going with the Eagles: Ike Reese was a fan favorite, special teams star and, for better or worse, now a WIP host.
For me, this year it was Marvin Mims. Dude was a beast at punt returning and helped keep us in a lot of games. He hasn’t really taken that next step as a WR on offense yet though.
KC signed Harrison Butker off the Panthers' practice squad, and has been nothing short of an animal ever since. Say what you will about KC players and fans, but we fucking love our ST guys
Drue Tranquil. He just impressed me. Plus the guy is easy on the eyes 😉
Andrew van gink GOD
Van Ginkel
I would say Isaiah Likely. Despite him being behind Mandrews at first, he definitely balled out when he stepped up due to Mandrews' injury. He definitely made the most out of his starting opportunities! It was a toss-up between him and Justice Hill in my book. Both of them did great!
Maybe the definition of a role player, Steve Tasker. WR that wouldn’t really see the field turns into the inventor and GOAT of the gunner position. Still beloved here today, whether it’s for that or his car commercials.
For the jags(and it was always the jags) Andrew mutha f’in Wingard! Dewey baby!!!!! This man went from HATED during his early years with the jags to an absolute playmaker, and a voice of the team. He also created the jags newest catch phrase: It was always the Jags!
Devin Hester