Payton Forecasts an 'Ascension' for Broncos Second-Year WR Troy Franklin

Rewind to this time last year, and few around the NFL had anything good to say about the Denver Broncos skill positions. At wide receiver, the Broncos had Courtland Sutton, who was coming off a double-digit touchdown season, but to a man, the team's wide receiver corps was the epitome of unproven.

That was then. Things have changed thanks to the arrival of Bo Nix. Sutton would go on to produce a 1,000-yard receiving season, while seventh-rounder Devaughn Vele would vault up the depth chart to start most of the season.

At different points in the campaign, the Broncos' youthful wideouts flashed, none more so than Marvin Mims Jr., who finished the season on an absolute tear. He would go on to garner dual Pro Bowl and All-Pro accolades once again as a returner, but his emergence as a bonafide receiving weapon was just what the team hoped to see.

Entering 2025, head coach Sean Payton expects another ascension at wide receiver. Troy Franklin.

“We saw him [Mims] take a big step in the middle of the year," Payton said following Thursday's OTA practice at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. "I think you’re going to see those types of ascensions with players like Troy. There are a number of young players competing, not so much for spots, but competing for touches. He’s one of them.”

What's especially interesting about Payton's remarks about Franklin is that the question wasn't even about the former Oregon Duck. The question was about how Mims can build off of last season, but Payton took his answer in a Franklin-centric direction, which is as intriguing as it is conspicuous.

Franklin was Denver's fourth-round pick last year. He served as Nix's top target for two years at Oregon.

Because of that established chemistry with Nix, the expectation was that Franklin would be the wideout to hit the ground running in 2024, but that was Vele. It took Franklin some time to get his NFL legs beneath him, and that began to happen late in the year.

Aside from the common rookie obstacles of assimilating a new system and acclimating to life as a pro, Franklin had some issues of the self-created variety, especially drops. He displayed a troubling habit of dropping over-the-shoulder passes, which negated his dangerous vertical speed and some big-play opportunities.

Franklin finished his rookie campaign with 28 receptions (on 53 targets) for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught the Broncos' lone touchdown in their Wildcard loss to the Buffalo Bills, with he and Nix becoming the first-ever rookie quarterback-to-receiver connection for a score in the NFL playoffs.

If Franklin can improve his hands, his 2025 outlook is very good. He'll be competing for touches, as Payton said, and this time around, Nix isn't knee-deep in his own rookie learning curve.

For the first time since high school, Nix will have the same play-caller in back-to-back seasons, which means he doesn't have to learn a new system. And he also has nearly his entire supporting cast returning in 2025, including all his passing weapons and Denver's top-rated offensive line.

"I'm just used to learning different things, so it's good not to have to learn an entire new system this year and have the same play caller and have the same quarterback coach. [Also], the same guys you're throwing it to," Nix said on Thursday. "The same center and the same [offensive] line. Being the same, it's going to be—it's hard to even explain. You’re going to see it in ways that you can't even understand. It’s just a natural thing to go out there and just pick up right where you left off and not have to restart.”

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There's a good chance these two former Ducks will make some hay together in Denver, as Payton and the front office originally envisioned upon drafting the duo last year. Stay tuned.