The Denver Broncos are already missing the key component to their offense for the AFC Championship Game in quarterback Bo Nix. They’ll also be missing one of his favorite targets.
Second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin was listed as one of the Broncos’ inactives ahead of the AFC title game on Sunday against the New England Patriots in Denver (3 p.m. EST, CBS/Paramount+)
“No Troy Franklin for today,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Sunday.
“Broncos WR Troy Franklin is inactive for Sunday’s AFC Championship Game vs. the Patriots, the team announced,” Yahoo Sports wrote on X.
Franklin injured his hamstring early in Denver’s overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Divisional Round.
“Broncos WR Troy Franklin is inactive because of his hamstring injury for today’s AFC Championship Game,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero wrote on X.
Franklin Showed Flashes of WR1 Potential
Franklin, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, showed flashes of being an elite wide receiver in his second season with 65 receptions for 709 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2025 after putting up 28 receptions for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie in 2024.
Franklin and Nix did make NFL history in the playoffs, becoming the first rookie quarterback to throw a touchdown pass to a rookie wide receiver in a playoff game in NFL history in an AFC Wild Card Round loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Franklin was a fourth round pick (No. 102 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft out of Oregon, where he teamed with Nix to set passing and receiving records and was a 2-time All-Pac-12 pick and earned All-American honors in 2023 with 81 receptions for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns.
“Troy Franklin has taken over Courtland Sutton’s role as the Broncos’ WR1,” Yahoo Fantasy Sports wrote on its official X account on November 16 after a win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Over a 4-game stretch in the middle of the season, Franklin had 19 receptions for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns to 12 receptions for 180 yards and 1 touchdown for Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton. It was a stretch in which Franklin had 34 targets vs. 24 targets for Sutton.
“I have to eat my words on Troy Franklin,” Locked On Broncos podcast host Sayre Bedinger wrote on his official X account.
Broncos Need Huge Games From Sutton, Bryant
Without a full complement of wide receivers, the Broncos will need to lean even more on Sutton and rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant and hope for big games from players like 2-time NFL All-Pro return specialist/wide receiver Marvin Mims and Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who scored a touchdown in the win over the Bills.
Bryant had 3 receptions for 32 yards on the first drive of the game against the Bills but was put out of the game with a concussion.
Bryant was a full participant in practice on Thursday and the only debate moving forward seemed to be if he will need to wear a Guardian cap or not — he did have one on at practice.
“Pat Bryant was ‘asymptomatic’ this week after suffering his concussion last week, per Sean Payton,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on Friday. “Said they’ll upgrade his helmet if necessary.”
Broncos Get Bad News on WR for AFC Championship Game