Last season, the answer to the Broncos question of “Who is the team’s WR2?” ended up being Troy Franklin, for all intents and purposes.
He was second on the team in receptions and targets in Weeks 1-8 behind Courtland Sutton. Those places held fast from Weeks 9-17. But that doesn’t tell the story.
Coming out of the Week 12 bye, the Broncos changed how they used their pass-catchers. Then-rookie Pat Bryant saw more snaps.
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In the wake of Franklin’s 32-yard catch in the final minute against Kansas City in Week 11 to set up Wil Lutz’s game-winning field goal, the Broncos returned to a world in which Bryant got more offensive snaps — 33 more, to be precise, an average of 8.25 more per game.
In that span, Bryant had more receptions (17 to 15), more targets (25 to 18) and more receiving yardage (198 to 183).
Then Bryant was concussed late in the Week 16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. After missing Week 17, the two receivers both played in the regular-season finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Bryant had 4 catches for 31 yards on 39 snaps, while Franklin played 14 fewer snaps and was targeted once without a reception.
And two-and-a-half months later, Jaylen Waddle joined Franklin, Bryant, Courtland Sutton, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and Marvin Mims Jr. in the Broncos’ receiving room.
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So that bears the question: Where does Franklin fit now?
THE SKILL SETS OF BRYANT AND FRANKLIN OFFER THE BRONCOS OPTIONS
Both offer ample length. Franklin brings more vertical speed; Bryant is a more proficient in traffic.
The question now is this: Which skill set plays the best along with Waddle and Sutton? The former can generate separation and — as he showed last year after Tyreek Hill’s injury — can be effective downfield, as his average depth of target nearly doubled after Miami lost Hill for the season. The latter has become less of the jump-ball artist and more of a possession, move-the-chains receiver as the “X.”
Franklin had a higher average depth of target than Bryant last year — 12.7 yards to 8.3. But Bryant had a better first-down rate, moving the chains on 64.7 percent (22 of 34) of his on-target passes, compared with 46.4 percent for Franklin (32 of 69). That contributed to a higher success rate for Bryant (55.1 percent to 48.1 percent).
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Training camp is likely to determine how both will be used. Bryant’s late-season-and-playoff injuries are a concern. But Franklin will need to show that his strengths mesh well with those of Sutton and Waddle.
With targets at a premium now and only one football to go around, Franklin will have to fight to match his 65-catch tally of 2025.