The Broncos have spent training camp building through contact, but Thursday brought a lighter session after several days in pads. That kind of reset was needed, even for a Denver team that likes to make practice harder than most.
What hasn’t changed is the steady drumbeat around the wide receiver group, and more specifically Pat Bryant. The second-year receiver keeps showing up, keeps making grabs, and keeps turning what might have been a quiet camp into something much louder.
Bryant was once again a featured name from multiple observers at practice. Luca Evans noted a tough catch over the middle from Bo Nix, with Riley Moss in tight coverage.
Zac Stevens highlighted a 15-yard completion to Bryant in the middle of the field, also in tight coverage, while pointing out that through two team periods the ball hadn’t hit the ground. Cody Roark summed it up by calling Bryant “the real deal” after a strong showing.
Here are multiple perspectives from Luca Evans, Zac Stevens, anc Cody Roark on Bryant and his performance during Thursday's camp. Sure, it's just camp, but this has become a nearly daily thing for the second-year wide receiver thus far:
Pat Bryant with a tough, tough grab over the middle on a dot from Bo Nix. Riley Moss in tight coverage but Bryant beat him.
Just have not seen the ball touch the ground much around Bryant this camp.
- Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 6, 2026
Pat Bryant looks like the real deal. Helluva camp for him.
No Sutton or Waddle in team period is giving him more looks to shine
- Cody Roark (@CodyRoarkNFL) August 6, 2026
Bo Nix has been sharp today.
Through two team periods, the ball hasn’t hit the ground.
Highlight so far is a 15-yard completion to Pat Bryant in tight coverage in the middle of the field.
- Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 6, 2026
What makes Bryant hard to ignore is the way he fits what Denver wants to do. He’s shown dependable hands, especially when the ball is coming into traffic, and that matters in the middle of the field - an area Bo Nix needs to attack more.
Bryant also brings a 6-2, 205-pound frame that gives him an edge against plenty of defensive backs. Add in the fact that he improved every year in college, saw meaningful snaps late in the season, and can help as a run blocker, and he looks like a player who can handle more than one job.
None of that locks anything in for 2026, but camp production matters, and Bryant keeps stacking it. The Broncos don’t have an official WR1, WR2, and WR3, but Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton are clearly the top two names in the room. If this keeps up, Bryant is making a strong case to be next.
That matters because Troy Franklin entered 2025 as the likely de-facto WR3, but Bryant has simply been more noticeable. With attention already going to Waddle, Sutton, Nix, and even Davis Webb, who is calling plays, Bryant’s rise has become one of the clearer developments in camp.
For now, the Broncos may not be able to hide him anymore.
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