Broncos OC Shares Biggest Takeaway from WR Competition

Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was made available to the media for the first time since training camp opened, and among his biggest insights was the state of the club's crowded wide receiver room.

Color Lombardi impressed — really impressed — with its occupants thus far.

“[WR] Courtland [Sutton] has been having a really good camp. He looks to me even better than he did last camp," he told reporters Tuesday. "We mentioned [WR] Troy [Franklin]. [WR] Marvin [Mims Jr.] is coming along. He finished strong last year, and we expect him to keep on that upward trajectory. [WR Devaughn] Vele’s been dealing with some things, but he’s looking good now. I think he’s had a couple of his best days the last two days. We’ve added [WR Trent] Sherfield Sr. and he’s been… I think we all know he’s a great blocker, but the ball keeps finding him in practice. He’s making a lot of catches out here. [WR Michael] Bandy is always Mr. Reliable. We have some young guys that are really playing well, some of our rookies that were free agents. It’s been a really good class as far as that’s concerned. Like you said, we have a lot of depth and it’s going to be interesting as camp goes on and develops."

Sutton has been leading by example after signing a four-year, $92 million contract extension that will keep him as Denver's top pass-catcher for the foreseeable future. He's entrenched atop the depth chart — the lone WR spot decided ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Beneath Sutton is an amalgamation of players competing for playing time, namely Marvin Mims and Devaughn Vele, both of whom remain focal points of the offense. There's also the lesser-known names attempting to carve out a role: Michael Bandy, Joaquin Davis, and Courtney Jackson.

However, the real star of the summer has been second-year wideout Troy Franklin, who's snagged nearly every ball thrown his way no matter which quarterback (Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham, Sam Ehlinger) is delivering, and regardless of who's in coverage opposite him.

The connection is particularly special with Nix, his former partner-in-crime at Oregon.

“They have a good feel for each other," Lombardi said of the duo. "Experience with a receiver really helps as a quarterback, knowing where they’re going to be. That’s really paid off. As he [WR Troy Franklin]’s learned the offense, he’s able to play naturally and that’s what Bo’s used to.”

Franklin struggled with drop issues as a rookie, but the natural, game-breaking talent is evident. See: His 44-yard touchdown against the Bills in the playoffs. If he can clean up the former, the latter will take hold on a full-time basis, potentially elevating him to permanent WR2 duties.

The sky truly is the limit for the 22-year-old.

“He’s having a good camp," Broncos head coach Sean Payton said of Franklin on Aug. 1. "I think he’s so much more versed in the system, the routes, he’s playing ‘Z’, but he’s also playing slot. So he’s working at two spots, and then I would say, his speed and you see his speed and runaway that you began to see, even in the Buffalo game in the playoffs, at Cincinnati, he can stretch the field, [WR] Marvin [Mims Jr.] can stretch the field. So some of the receivers are working one spot, and there’s a handful. [WR Devaughn] Vele working ‘X’ to sub, Troy’s working ‘Z’ to sub. [WR Michael] Bandy can play inside. He could play all the spots, but his best spot is inside. So it’s really trying to take the strengths of these players. But to your question, all the nuances coming from Oregon, where it’s double, it’s trips, there’s so many different splits information that he is a lot further along on.”