Over the last few years, the Denver Broncos’ receiver room has been quite a mixed bag. Since arriving in Denver, Sean Payton has struggled to find a consistent pass catcher to put alongside Courtland Sutton; now, however, they’ve found one in Troy Franklin.
In Payton’s first year, the role of WR2 belonged to Jerry Jeudy. However, his bad attitude and frequent drops prevented him from living up to his first-round potential. Ultimately, Denver ended up trading him for a lowly fourth- and fifth-rounder to clear cap space.
In his second year, last season, it was unclear who the No. 2 receiver was at all. Devaughn Vele got the most reps in that other outside receiver spot. However, Marvin Mims, who mostly played in the slot, finished with the most yards.
Nevertheless, with Vele putting up only 475 yards and Mims putting up only 503, Payton knew that somebody needed to step up.
Thankfully, that’s exactly what Troy Franklin has done.
Troy Franklin’s Rookie Rough Patch
As a fourth-round pick and a rookie last year, Troy Franklin didn’t see the field that much. Playing behind Sutton, Vele, Mims, Josh Reynolds, and even Lil’Jordan Humphrey, he was underutilized. Additionally, when he was put in the game, he wasn’t quite living up to the fans’ expectations.
Payton seemed to only put him in for deep balls, allowing him to show off his 4.41 40-yard dash time. However, despite playing with Nix in college, the connection was always off. Between overthrows, drops, and general miscommunications, Broncos fans were becoming worried about their supposedly next-up receiver.
Those fears are gone now.
Since last season, the Broncos have completely revamped their receiving core. With Vele, Reynolds, and Humphrey gone, Franklin was promoted to WR2. Playing in the Z role alongside Sutton, expectations were high for him, and he has certainly lived up to them.
The Rise of Troy Franklin
With 385 yards through nine games, Troy Franklin is well on his way to surpassing the numbers of Vele and Mims. For perspective, he’s on pace for 727 yards, which would put him alongside several excellent complementary receivers from last season such as Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen, and Jaylen Waddle.
Additionally, he is on pace to nearly triple his 263 yards from last year, and he has four touchdowns through nine games, which is a very respectable pace.
Franklin was used last year as a sporadic gadget guy for deep balls and screens. However, this season, he’s been used all over the field.
He still gets his long balls and screen passes, but his intermediate targets have solidified him as a true Z receiver. Even more importantly, though, he has shown an ability to step up and be a go-to guy when his team needs him.
He dominated in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, putting up 89 yards and a touchdown on eight catches. He went off against the Cowboys as well, accumulating 89 yards and two touchdowns on six catches.
Denver’s Downfield Revival
In the last few years, Broncos fans have seen way more from guys like Brandon Johnson and Lil’Jordan Humphrey than they would have preferred. However, Denver’s passing game is in a new era, as they finally have two consistent outside receivers.
At the core of almost every great team is a solid one-two punch at receiver. The Eagles have A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith, the Bengals have Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, and the 49ers had Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. If Franklin can live up to that role, Denver could be scary. And now, with the AFC wide open, the Broncos smell blood in the water.
The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, the AFC alpha dogs of the 2020s, have been struggling. The only teams that sits level with the Broncos are the Colts, a team that Denver would have beaten if not for a bogus leverage penalty, and the Patriots. If there was ever a time for Denver to strike, it would be now.
In years past, Denver’s defense has been its strong suit, while its offense has lagged behind.
The defense will continue to thrive, so the Broncos’ offense will decide their fate. If the offense continues to deliver enough points to win, and if Troy Franklin continues to shine, Denver could be holding up the Lombardi in February.
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