Broncos’ WR pecking order in flux after Pat Bryant’s strong camp, with Troy Franklin’s No. 2 role questioned

Denver’s wide receiver rotation is starting to take shape, and the battle for pecking order is getting sharper rather than simpler. Troy Franklin, who separated himself as a leading target last season, is now facing an apparent challenge for the team’s No. 2 role after Pat Bryant’s standout work through training camp.

Franklin’s production in 2025 helped set the baseline for expectations. He posted 709 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, along with three two-point conversions, and the breakout helped him become a central option in Denver’s passing game. That kind of output usually earns an expanded role, but roster decisions are also shaped by current camp performance and in-game depth-chart reality.

The most recent sign of how the Broncos may be rearranging their hierarchy came from preseason playing time. Franklin appeared in Denver’s final preseason game, and he did so in a way that placed him alongside All-Pro returner Marvin Mims. In the same game, Bryant did not see the field with Franklin’s group.

While preseason timing is not the same as a regular-season depth chart, it does often reflect how a coaching staff sees the matchups and responsibilities for the first and second waves of starters. The report indicates Bryant sat with regulars Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle, a detail that suggests Bryant may be closer to Denver’s top tier than the previous order implied.

That shift, if it holds, could place Bryant in the Broncos’ top three wideouts. As noted in the report, Bryant is on track to be Denver’s No. 3 wideout, moving the former Oregon teammate of Bo Nix into a more uncertain spot relative to the team’s newest summer momentum. For Franklin, the key question becomes whether his 2025 role was a product of opportunity and scheme fit, or whether it can survive a summer in which Bryant has closed the gap.

From here, Denver’s priorities are likely to become clearer as the regular-season roster solidifies. The Broncos will still need a consistent playmaker who can create separation and finish routes, and Franklin’s prior touchdown and two-point production makes his case stronger than a simple depth-chart demotion narrative. But Bryant’s camp trajectory, combined with the way roles looked in the final preseason game, sets up an important watch item: whether Franklin’s target volume and situational usage remain stable when the offense is fully live. If they do not, Denver may be indicating a long-term adjustment in how it deploys its top receivers.