The Denver Broncos are confident in their group of young wide receivers as they prepare for NFL Free Agency and the NFL Draft. Troy Franklin was one player head coach Sean Payton identified last year as somebody he wanted in the draft and the team traded up to get him.
After his rookie season, Payton noted how he was pleased with how Franklin’s year went.
Denver Broncos pleased with Troy Franklin’s rookie year, developmental track
Troy Franklin and Bo Nix had one of the best connections in college football in their final two years at the University of Oregon. Payton added Franklin into the mix for Nix in last year’s NFL Draft, aiming to add a player who possessed elite level speed for a player of his size.
While Franklin and Nix’s connection didn’t necessarily take off last year in their first year together in the NFL, the Broncos were more than pleased with the rookie wide receiver who worked his way into the rotation after Josh Reynolds landed on injured reserve with a hand injury in Week 5. Franklin caught his first career touchdown in Week 6 against the Los Angeles Chargers and had several catches in Denver’s Week 7 win against the New Orleans Saints.
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Payton highlighted that the vision for Franklin is to play as the ‘Z’ receiver inside of his offense, but that role requires him and other receivers to move around.
“We see him as a ‘Z’ [receiver],” Payton said. “We move our guys around a bit, so it’s not exclusively. I thought he had a good rookie year. He’s sometimes in that same position where [WR Marvin] Mims [Jr.] is at, so we have two guys. We have certainly gotten faster because both of those guys can run. We saw that growth spurt with Marvin in Year 2, but I would say I was real pleased how he handled the totality of his rookie season. It can be difficult, and I see him in that role.”
This was one of Bo Nix’s best throws on Sunday vs. the Raiders. Finds Troy Franklin for 26 on 1st and 20. pic.twitter.com/twhaT5f5Yk
— Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) November 25, 2024
Payton’s mention of Mims in comparison to Franklin is important to note because the Broncos struggled to find a consistent role for Mims in his rookie season, but in the second half of 2024 his production skyrocketed. Franklin is already on the radar as one of the Broncos’ biggest breakout candidates in 2025 and we certainly saw what he can do as a downfield threat in Denver’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Troy Franklin with the touchdown from Bo Nix to start the game, Broncos start off hot vs Bills 👀 pic.twitter.com/zbKgZXvgwu
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) January 12, 2025
For a large part of the season, Nix and Franklin were off on their deep ball connection, but that’s something the team believes will come together as it did in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. Where the Broncos can maximize Franklin’s speed and size next season not only can come downfield, but should be in the intermediate passing game where he can work in space as a true separation creator.
With the Denver Broncos looking at sitting down with Courtland Sutton’s agent sometime in the future to discuss his contract, Payton is fond of the young trio of Franklin, Mims, and Devaughn Vele — who he believes will all play pivotal roles next season for the offense.