When it comes to success in the NFL, superstars may dominate the conversation, but more often than not, it’s the guys you don’t know who make the plays needed. when is They are needed. Such players can be rated low for all reasons. Perhaps they play in a small market, and the media is not properly reporting their exploits. Maybe they’re hidden deep in the chart behind big names that might not do that much. Or, maybe a coach never knew that someone needed height to get the best results for the team.
Whatever the reason, we at SB Nation always love to bring you the most underrated names. Offseason hidden gems and the then-Secret Superstars series. You can also find the AFC and NFC Secret Superstars for the 2026 season. Right here.
Here are our AFC Secret Superstars for Week 9 of the 2026 regular season. And if you haven’t already, Download the new SB Nation appSo read our stuff better and join the conversation wherever you are!
(According to all advanced parameters Next Gen statistics, Pro football focus, Sports information solutionsAnd Summer sports unless otherwise).
Jonas Coleman, RB, Denver Broncos
Is your offense better and more dangerous with a really explosive running back? Obviously yes. If you have Bejan Robinson, Jahmir Gibbs or James Cook, your offense is going to be ripe if others don’t have one of those rare backs who are always threatening to take it to the house.
But if you don’t have a back like that — and there are only a few in the NFL at any given time — then what do you do? The second-best option is to have at least one back that can keep the drives under consistent power and whatever agility and straight-line speed is in the skill set.
That’s why Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos selected Washington running back Jonas Coleman with the 108th overall pick in the 2026 draft. In his final collegiate season, the 5’9″, 228-pound Coleman carried the ball 157 times for 758 yards (4.8 yards per carry), 15 touchdowns, 37 forced fumbles, 20 runs of 10 or more yards and 11 runs of 15 or more yards. But everyone wanted to talk about Coleman. What I find interesting based on my own tape research is the lack of explosiveness and explosiveness that is said. The guy wasn’t running 4.2 40-yard dashes on the field, but the big plays were happening more frequently.
Coleman caught 31 passes on 34 targets for 346 yards and two touchdowns in 2025, which bodes well for Peyton’s offense, whose backs should be receivers.
Coleman’s transition to the NFL has been slow since he suffered an ankle injury on injured reserve in late September, but he’s developed into a force multiplier over the past two weeks. He had 104 total yards on 15 touchdowns in a 28-24 Week 8 win against the Carolina Panthers in a 26-21 win. He also caught four passes for 31 yards. Had a single play of more than 10 yards? No, he didn’t, but when he repeatedly gave the rock away, Coleman was able to ease Denver’s drives, create first downs and put the Broncos in comfortable down-and-away situations for other first downs.
Payton said of Coleman on Nov. 4: “We got those glimpses in the spring and training camp and the preseason. One thing that’s unique about him is a lot of times, you don’t see (young running backs) in third-down coverage schemes, but he was a guy with a little bit of tape. Advanced coverage schemes, and that’s one thing he’s got to know. I’d say there were three backs to be strong enough to do it — we saw one of them (Coleman) every guy.” He might be a little different, but his versatility means you don’t have to mark him against a lot of rookie backs.
Quarterback Bo Nix agreed.
“I think he’s playing really well with confidence. He’s a very intelligent young running back. The catch is he can handle a lot. You can put a lot on his plate. After we found out RJ Harvey wasn’t going to play last week, he got a little more of RJ’s stuff. It’s amazing to see him be able to use it in different ways. That’s what running backs are for. He’s going to make a good impression on us right now.
Smart coaches and staff will tell you to avoid focusing on what a player can’t do – focus on what they can do instead. Jonas Coleman won’t blow you away with RedZone highlights, but when it comes to the cost of the offense, that’s relatively irrelevant — and it’s great that he’s arriving with a team that supports him.
Kayshon Boutte, WR, Houston Texans
After the Texans blew the Los Angeles Chargers out of Sophie Stadium in their 44-22 NFL lone win, the talk turned to quarterback CJ Stroud’s incredible day (21 of 35 for 385 yards, five touchdowns, one interception and a 125.5 passer rating). He had the first touchdown since Week 16 of the 2024 seasonAnd Nico Collins’ crazy touch caught the cornerback.
But it was Texan Kaishon Boothe, the former New England Patriot who was traded to Houston on Aug. 24 for safety Jaylen Reed and a 2028 seventh-round draft pick, who caught two touchdown passes in that game. Bute hasn’t been one of Texas’ top targets this season — he had 15 catches on 25 targets for 194 yards and no touchdowns Sunday — and head coach DiMeco Ryans was thrilled that Bute went for 125 yards and those two scores on four catches on five targets.
Ryans said postgame: “I was really working with the offense to get Butte to pass them and run for a touchdown — he did that today. “A lot of his plays over the past few weeks have been tough losses on the field, but this time he was actually able to run for a touchdown. On that particular play, seeing (WR) Nico (Collins) block down the field and (TE) Dalton (Schultz) block down the field, that’s probably what I’m most proud of in that game. Men sell.
Well, now the 3-5 Texans have to add to their arsenal as they try to overcome an unexpectedly rough (0-4) start to the season.
Ventrell Miller, LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars are the best team people don’t talk about enough (They currently rank first in overall DVOA for the first time in franchise history), and the main reason for this The NFL’s most underrated defense. Anthony Campanile’s defense (remember his name; Campanile is on the head coaching track) ranks third in defensive DVOA. before They traded for Atlanta Falcons safety Jesse Bates III, New Orleans Saints IDL Davon Godchaux and Philadelphia Eagles IDL Jordan Davis.
Jags general manager James Gladstone learned all about “F Them Picks” during his time in the front office of the Los Angeles Rams from 2016 to 2024, and now he has good reason to do it all. This is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, and the guys Campanile already has on the roster have played beyond their name recognition.
Perhaps the nationally recognized man behind his true accomplishments is linebacker Ventrell Miller. In the year The 2023 fourth-round pick out of Florida missed his rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon in the preseason and had to overcome other ailments in 2024 and 2025, but the fully healthy version of Mr. Miller is the most revealing. On the season, Miller has a sack, eight pressures, 35 solo tackles, 23 stops, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. In coverage, he allowed 17 catches on 24 targets for 128 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 83.3.
In last Thursday’s 33-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, Miller showed off his skills at the line of scrimmage and in the secondary.
“Overall, he’s done a good job,” Campanile said of Miller on Sept. 24. “He’s a guy you can rely on to set the tone physically for the defense. That’s one thing I feel like he’s done in the first two games. He’s looking to improve, he’s trying to do more. And I think all of his teammates have that defense and that’s a good thing.”
A very good thing for the Jaguar defense on the road. Ventrell Miller has become the top NFL linebacker in the team’s prime.
