Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin
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Denver Broncos wide receivers Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin.
The Denver Broncos made arguably the biggest trade of the offseason — among trades that actually went through — when they swapped a 1st round pick and 3rd round pick for Miami Dolphins superstar wide receiver Jaylen Waddle on Tuesday.
It’s a move that cements the Broncos as Super Bowl contenders for the 2nd year in a row and comes after a season in which they were essentially 1 wide receiver away from making it to the Super Bowl — something easy to see in a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
It’s also a move that puts a lot of pressure on the wide receivers already on the roster and upends whatever perceived hierarchy or pecking order there may have been.
Waddle now becomes WR1 or, at the very least, creates a WR1A/1B situation with veteran Courtland Sutton. After that, it’s going to be a battle for touches.
Who Will Be WR3 for Denver Broncos in 2026?
After that, there’s a glut of unproven talent that includes Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, recently signed veteran free agent Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and 2025 3rd round pick Pat Bryant.
Mims is a 2-time NFL All-Pro return specialist who also continually provides a spark to the offense when he gets chances. He’s not going anywhere.
Franklin, a 2024 4th round pick, went missing for large chunks of the 2025 season but his numbers — 65 receptions for 709 yards and 6 touchdowns — speak to an untapped upside.
That leaves Bryant as the odd man out.
“I mean, you could say Pat Bryant is your 5th best receiver now,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens said on the DNVR Denver Broncos podcast on Tuesday.
Injuries Defined Rookie Season for Pat Bryant
While Bryant struggled with injuries down the stretch of the regular season and, more notably, in the playoffs, he also showed enough upside that he could still upend Franklin for that coveted WR3 spot.
PFF’s Dalton Wasserman called Bryant an “Early Breakout Candidate” for the Broncos in 2026 after he had 35 receptions for 412 yards and 1 touchdown as a rookie.
“Bryant didn’t get many opportunities in the first half of his rookie season, but he became a reliable contributor to Denver’s offense down the stretch,” Wasserman wrote. “Since Week 8, he produced a solid 73.0 PFF receiving grade while placing third on the team with 364 receiving yards. He should continue to garner further opportunities alongside Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin in 2026.”
With a month left in the regular season, Bryant very much seemed like he was becoming Denver’s top WR2 option, but suffered a nasty concussion in a loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16 — and did so on a murder ball thrown by Nix.
From the Locked on Broncos Podcast on December 10: “Pat Bryant has now seemingly, over the last three weeks become the second wide receiver … he is taking over an increased snap count over some other wide receivers that have been heavily in the rotation. We’re seeing the trust factor increase. It feels like the coaching staff trusts Bryant and that trust between he and Bo Nix is also growing and evolving week after week. But it’s not like he buys into his own hype. He just goes out there and works.”