While the Denver Broncos made the playoffs last season for the first time in a decade, what’s maybe more notable is that they did it with only 2 really viable weapons on offense.
Even more incredible? One of those weapons, rookie quarterback Bo Nix, was completely lost for the first month of the season — he didn’t even throw his first touchdown pass until Week 4.
Once Nix figured out how to play in the NFL, he had wide receiver Courtland Sutton waiting for him and Sutton delivered just the second 1,000 yard season of his career — one he parlayed into a 4-year, $92 million contract extension.
Now, headed into 2025, if the Broncos want to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season they’re going to need more than Sutton and Nix. Specifically, they’re going to need at least one of a large group of talented wide receivers to turn into a viable WR2 option.
The Athletic’s Jordan Rodrique thinks that player could be rookie wide receiver and third round pick (No. 74 overall) Pat Bryant.
Bryant, a third-round rookie out of Illinois, was recently said to be ‘ahead of schedule’ for his first NFL season by Denver general manager George Paton,” Rodrique wrote on September 1. “Bryant is a big, friendly target who gets open and has reliable hands. Head coach Sean Payton will also lean on his physicality as a blocker.”
• 4 targets • 3 catches • 62 receiving yards
He has looked fantastic this offseason 👀
What Bryant Brings To Table For Broncos
Bryant certainly looks the part of an NFL wide receiver at 6-foot-2, 204 pounds — even if he was a tad slower than expected with a 4.61 second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in February.
Thanks to his 40 time, the Broncos could have gotten Bryant much later in the draft but decided to jump on him much earlier than he was predicted to go. NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein had Bryant projected as a solid sixth round pick.
“Three-year starter with ascending production and the potential to play inside and outside,” Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Bryant has good size but lacks suddenness and pure vertical gas. What he lacks in explosiveness he makes up for with intelligent releases, physicality inside the route and elite ball skills.”
Broncos Traded Promising WR to Saints
If we are reading the tea leaves and trying to figure out what the Broncos think of Bryant behind the scenes, we got one clue when Paton and head coach Sean Payton traded promising young wide receiver DeVaughn Vele to the New Orleans Saints on August 20.
Vele, 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, was a 2024 seventh round pick showed he had breakout potential of his own as a rookie with 41 receptions for 475 yards and 3 touchdowns in 13 games.
“After a strong debut season for Bo Nix and a well-earned playoff berth, the Broncos had one big objective this offseason: Get more dangerous on offense,” ESPN’s Ben Solak wrote on July 16. ” … Bryant is a big, physical pass catcher who landed with a perfect playcaller — Sean Payton — for his skill set. Expect Bryant to split his time between the slot and out wide. If he wins balls in traffic as easily as he did in college, he’ll quickly vault (Marvin) Mims as the WR2 and add another layer to this offense in need of more viable options.”
Third Round Pick Labeled Potential ‘Breakout Star’ for Broncos