The Denver Broncos have a squadron of young, talented skill position players on offense poised to become stars, and 3rd-year wide receiver Troy Franklin might be at the front of the pack.
While we can only tell so much from a seemingly endless scroll of highly glossed offseason workout videos, Franklin’s stood out recently because he looks like he’s already put on the 10 pounds of muscle he wanted to add and is still lightning-quick.
“Being where I’m supposed to be and doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Franklin said in a video posted to social media of 1 of his workouts. “It’s really that for real, you know.”
Franklin made a pretty significant leap in 2025 with 65 receptions for 709 yards and 6 touchdowns — more than double his 28 receptions for 263 yards and 1 touchdown as a rookie.
“Year 3 is usually where we see WRs take that next leap,” Broncos fan Dak wrote on X.
Pressure Ratcheted Up for Broncos WRs in 2026
No position group will be under more scrutiny for the Broncos than their wide receivers in 2026 after the group nose-dived in the playoffs. Those struggles culminated in a 10-7 home loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Denver head coach Sean Payton was open about his displeasure with his wide receivers following the loss to the Patriots. After a few days of Payton complaining about everything from dropped passes to how his receivers catch the ball (“put your thumbs together”), head coach Sean Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and wide receivers coach Keary Colbert.
Franklin was one of the main culprits when it came to dropped passes — he and teammate Courtland Sutton finished tied for second in the NFL with 8 dropped passes each.
There’s also the matter of durability. Franklin went into the Witness Protection Program down the stretch, and in the final 4 games of the year — 2 regular-season games and 2 playoff games — Franklin had 4 receptions for 17 yards and no touchdowns. He didn’t even play against the Patriots with a hamstring injury.
Lombardi was replaced by Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb, and Colbert’s role was filled by former NFL wide receiver Ronald Curry, who also worked with Payton on the New Orleans Saints.
In a further vote of no confidence in their wide receivers, the Broncos traded their 2026 1st round pick for $84 million Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
Troy Franklin’s Ambitious Goals for 2026
Franklin, 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, already made a pretty bold prediction for what he expects out of himself in 2026 — 1 that might raise some eyebrows in the locker room.
“I’m going to get a 1,000-yard season,” Franklin told The Denver Post on Thursday. “I’m going to double up the touchdowns. And receptions, I need to probably get about 80 or 100.”
That’s going to be really hard to do with Sutton and Waddle receiving the lion’s share of the targets — not to mention getting the ball to a pair of talented running backs in J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, and a high-priced free agent tight end in Evan Engram.
The more likely best-case scenario for Franklin is that he’s able to hold off 2nd-year wide receiver Pat Bryant and 2-time NFL All-Pro return specialist Marvin Mims Jr. for the WR3 role on the Broncos.
Broncos WR Predicted for ‘Year 3 Leap’ After Mistake-Filled Sophomore Season