There’s always one training camp storyline that grabs hold and won’t let go, and for the Broncos, Pat Bryant has a real chance to be that guy in 2026.
The second-year wideout has been easy to overlook with all the attention around Jaylen Waddle, but Bryant’s late-season rise last year made him impossible to ignore. He was getting more and more involved down the stretch before injuries interrupted that momentum, and now he enters his second season with a chance to turn that quiet progress into one of the biggest camp conversations in Denver.
Sean Payton sounded plenty encouraged about Bryant’s development at mandatory minicamp, and the praise was detailed.
“He’s a quick study. He gets it real fast.
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 has strong hands in traffic.
He’s having a good stretch here. He’s healthy.
Certainly in Year 2, he knows exactly what to do. 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.”
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
That kind of endorsement matters because there’s some real intrigue building behind the Broncos’ receiver pecking order. The top of the depth chart is clear enough with Waddle in the mix, but Denver used 11 personnel heavily last season, ranking in the top 10 in the NFL in that category. That keeps the third receiver spot very much in play.
Bryant has a strong case to make it his own.
From Week 9 through the end of the 2025 season, beginning with the Houston game, Bryant averaged 38 snaps per game. Troy Franklin averaged 35.6 over that same stretch. That includes the Jacksonville game in which Bryant was carted off with a concussion.
The two were both knocked out early in the Divisional Round win over Buffalo as well. Bryant played three snaps and was targeted on all three before leaving. Franklin logged 13 snaps and didn’t see a target.
Bryant’s edge isn’t just about usage, either. He’s the better blocker, and now that he’s no longer learning the system as a rookie, he doesn’t have the same disadvantage he had before. His athletic profile may not jump off the page, especially with poor 40-yard dash speed, but the Broncos have seen how his football IQ lets him play faster than he looks.
That combination - route running, strong hands in traffic, run-after-catch ability, and a veteran feel - gives Bryant a legitimate path to becoming one of the breakout names of Broncos camp.
In Other News...
Broncos Nearly Landed A Wild Coaching Twist Nobody Saw Coming
Bill Belichick spent the 2024 season on the outside looking in after his departure from New England, and the unusual possibilities around his next stop briefly reached all the way to Denver. An ESPN report said Sean Payton and the Broncos at least kicked around the idea of a one-year setup that would have put Belichick in position to keep chasing NFL history, a reminder of how far teams will go when a coaching legend is suddenly available.
The idea never got past the concept stage, in part because of how many moving pieces it would have required, and Belichick ultimately moved on to a year off before his planned 2025 arrival at North Carolina. He also reportedly checked in with the Jets about their opening, which only adds to the sense that the coaching carousel around him was never going to be simple. For Denver, it remains one of those fascinating what-ifs that says plenty about both Paytons creativity and Belichicks lingering pull. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Puts Broncos In Top 10 And The AFC West Debate Will Rage
The Broncos head into the 2026 campaign with almost the same roster that helped them build real momentum a year ago, and that continuity is a big reason national evaluators are paying attention. ESPNs Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder each saw enough to place Denver eighth in their consensus roster rankings, a nod that reflects how far the group has come as it tries to push from promising to legitimate contender.
What makes the conversation around Denver so interesting is where the roster is strongest and where it still feels unfinished. ESPN pointed to the offensive line as a clear asset, but tight end remains the spot that could keep the Broncos from looking complete, with Evan Engram coming off a season in which his role never fully matched the expectations around him. For a team trying to chase a Super Bowl run in a loaded division, that kind of imbalance is exactly the sort of detail that will keep the AFC West debate going. [Read more 🡒]