Taylor Rapp’s path back to the Denver Broncos has been anything but straightforward, but the veteran safety made it clear Saturday why he kept coming back.
Rapp first showed up in Denver for a workout before the Broncos’ preseason opener against the Falcons, impressed enough to earn a one-year, vet-minimum deal. He was later waived during final roster cuts, a move that looked odd until head coach Sean Payton explained that Rapp needed to handle a personal matter at home and had the team’s support.
Earlier this month, Denver brought him back for another visit, and this time he signed again, landing on the practice squad with a possible path to the 53-man roster. With the regular-season opener now just two days away, Rapp laid out what pulled him toward the Broncos in the first place.
“It’s good to be a part of a team that you know has got it all on paper," he told reporters, via The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. "Obviously, last season was last season and they got to prove it again, but obviously it’s good to be a part of a team that’s been there, that knows how to get there and is ready to take the next step.”
The next step for Rapp likely starts with time in the playbook and time getting his body back into game shape. If he does get elevated, he could settle in as Denver’s No. 3 safety behind Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones, replacing JL Skinner in that role.
Rapp also pointed to the setting itself as part of the appeal.
“It’s an amazing facility. I mean, it’s been the best that I’ve been across my eight years in the league," he said, per Tomasson.
Now in his eighth NFL season, Rapp has played in 93 games and made 72 starts with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills. That experience is part of why Payton sees him as another piece of a roster already loaded with veteran presence from Courtland Sutton to Garett Bolles, Zach Allen and others.
Payton said Saturday that the Broncos’ biggest assets go beyond talent alone.
“I think it’s a smart team," he told reporters on Saturday. "I think there is a feeling of there’s still that hunger coming up short.
So I would also say leadership, the culture, those types of things. Ultimately any good team begins to get taken over by the leaders within the locker room.
I feel like that experience can serve this team well.”
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