Sean Payton Says Broncos WR Progressing 'Quite a Bit'

Denver Broncos wide receiver A.T. Perry has progressed "quite a bit" after being sidelined by an ankle injury earlier this summer and remains on a promising yet "developmental" path, head coach Sean Payton told reporters Monday.

Perry was among several Broncos final roster cuts who have since resurfaced on the practice squad.

"He was having a real good spring, kind of an accelerated spring before the injury," Payton said. "It’s always frustrating for a player like that that has that type of setback as he’s trying to make the roster. He’s participating now. He’s developmental, he’s long, he’s got good strong hands. So we’ve been encouraged, and it’s good to have him back on the field healthy.”

A 2023 sixth-round pick of the Saints, Perry has 12 catches for 246 yards and four touchdowns — all in 10 appearances — to his NFL name. The 6-foot-5, 205-pound wideout was waived by New Orleans last October and joined Denver's practice team, later inking a reserve/future contract.

Perry was a more notable prospect coming out of Wake Forest, where he twice earned first-team All-ACC honors. The Florida native, who posted a 4.47 forty and 35-inch vertical jump, even drew a third-round draft grade from NFL Media analyst Lance Zierlein.

"Long wideout with quick feet and erratic hands who falls neatly into the category of higher-ceiling, lower-floor prospect," Zierlein wrote in his scouting profile. "Perry has been highly targeted and highly productive over the last two seasons. He’s crafty but physical in the early stages of the route and flashes the ability to become a more dangerous route runner with additional work. He has the tools to work all three levels of the field, but his drops and ordinary ball skills sap some of the excitement surrounding his massive wingspan. Perry’s inconsistencies can be frustrating, but his talent and traits make him worthy of a Day 2 selection as a potential WR2/3."

Alas, entering year three, Perry began training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He was cleared for individual drills on Aug. 12, with Payton noting an "on ramp for someone like him who’s missed quite a bit of practice.”