Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant didn’t come across as a rookie when he went through his training-camp paces last year; thanks to his own maturity and seeking the counsel of veteran Trent Sherfield — who continues to mentor Bryant even though their time as teammates ended last November — he displayed the maturity of a veteran.
So, it stands to reason that as Bryant plowed through the work of his second offseason, he should continue to be perceived as a player beyond his years.
“Certainly in Year 2, he knows exactly what to do,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said last month. “There’s a confidence about him, a maturity. You wouldn’t feel like he was a second-year player if you didn’t know it.”
And by last December, he didn’t look like a rookie receiver, either. Coming out of the Week 12 bye, it was Bryant who emerged as the Broncos’ No. 2 receiver. For the three games he played immediately following the bye — he missed the Las Vegas game in Week 14 — he was second behind Courtland Sutton in targets and receptions. Only a concussion late in the win over the Jacksonville Jaguars brought that surge to a conclusion.
A second concussion followed in the divisional-round win over the Buffalo Bills. And while he played seven days later in the AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots, a hamstring injury ended that day.
“It’s a part of the game. I ain’t really dwelling much on it,” Bryant said in May. “But my main focus in the offseason was just, at the end of the day, becoming bulletproof, so I don’t have to deal with any of those things anymore.”
Recovery from the hamstring issue helped keep him around the Broncos facility early in the offseason; after that, he focused on adding more muscle — “a couple of pounds,” as he said in the spring. The only question now is whether he’ll wear a Guardian cap to account for the concussions he suffered; in May, Bryant said he wasn’t certain if he would. He donned it in the AFC Championship Game, becoming the first Broncos player to wear one in a regular-season or postseason contest. During OTAs and minicamp, he didn’t wear one, but no player did, given the low-contact nature of practices; the Guardian caps don’t go on until training camp.
So, if he wears one, that’ll be one change. The other is in the arrival of Jaylen Waddle.
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FIGHTING FOR PLAYING TIME WITH WADDLE IN THE BRONCOS’ MIX
Waddle and Courtland Sutton are unquestionably the Broncos’ Nos. 1 and 2 receivers at this moment. The squeeze will impact Bryant, Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims Jr.
What could be a difference-making aspect for Bryant could be his yardage after the catch. Last year, he averaged 4.7 yards after the reception, compared with 4.3 for Franklin and 3.0 for Sutton. Mims was above Bryant — 6.2 yards — but he had just 2.5 yards before the catch, on average; Bryant had 8.7.
“I think one of his great skill sets is his run after the catch because his feet stay on the ground when he catches it. He’s got strong hands in traffic,” Payton said during OTAs. “He’s having a good stretch here.”
But there may only be room for one of Bryant, Franklin and Mims to build off their production from last year.
“Last year, I would say, was the longest year of my life — just mentally and physically,” Bryant said in May. “So, just having this offseason to really just sit back, relax, enjoy time with the family, my wife, my dogs, and then just going back to the facility every day and working out by myself, one-on-one with coaches, focusing on things that I need to work on, was pretty good.”
If it can help him stay healthy, it gives him an edge. But with Waddle getting his share of targets and yards, there’s likely to be fewer chances left over for Bryant, Mims and Franklin, making their competition next month a fierce one.