This Broncos Position Battle Will Be Hot-Button Issue By July

Bo Nix is licking his chops. It's been a while since I could type this, but the Denver Broncos have one of the NFL's best wide receiver duos entering the 2026 season.

With Jaylen Waddle joining the two-time Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton, the top of the Broncos' receiver depth chart hasn't looked this good since the days of the late Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders.

There's no question about the the top of Denver's receiver depth chart, but what about the No. 3 spot? By the time training camp rolls around in late July, the battle for WR3 could be a hot-button issue.

Let's examine the trio of contenders for the Broncos' WR3 job, but with one caveat: Sean Payton uses all of his receivers on gameday. It's just a question of snap share, and that's what these three wideouts will be battling for.

Troy Franklin

Franklin was the No. 2 receiver last year, so he'll get the first bite at the apple. He may not have fully broken out in his first year as a starter opposite Sutton, but Franklin did produce career-highs across the board, finishing with 65 receptions for 709 yards and six touchdowns (co-team high).

Franklin's goal before the Waddle trade was to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards and double up on his touchdown numbers in Year 3. That level of production as a No. 3 receiver is almost impossible to hit, but it has been done before by some of the NFL's most prolific offenses, including Wes Welker back in 2013 (from a receptions and touchdown perspective) and Brandon Stokley in 2004.

If Davis Webb's ascension to the offensive coordinator role pays dividends, Nix could break out in Year 3. And you know what they say about a franchise quarterback being the tide that raises all the ships around him. It's possible to produce three prolific receivers in a single season, but that quarterback has to be dropping Star Wars numbers.

Franklin will have to be on his top game, though, because he's got two highly motivated, talented receivers who've got some goals of their own.

Pat Bryant

Bryant enters Year 2 with a bright outlook. The only fly in the ointment? The injury bug.

Bryant worked his way into the rotation last year as a rookie, but he suffered two concussions down the stretch and into the playoffs, which, combined with the concussion he suffered in October of 2024 at Illinois, gave him three traumatic brain injuries over a 15-month span. He also suffered a hamstring injury in the playoffs.

It would be wise for Bryant to rock a Guardian Cap moving forward to give him an extra layer of protection, because with each concussion a player suffers, he can become more susceptible to them. Just do it.

Bryant is so physical and talented, though, that if he can avoid the injury bug, he could be undeniable, especially as he grows as a pro. Bryant's physicality, reliability, and after-the-catch ability make him a threat to eclipse Franklin as the third-highest snap-getter among the receivers.

Did I mention that Bryant is also a proficient blocker on the perimeter? No block, no rock, is his mindset.

Marvin Mims Jr.

In my humble opinion, Mims should be this team's third receiver. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why he isn't. Any time his number has been called as a receiver, he has delivered, and then some.

Beyond the receiver snaps Mims has garnered, he's also been the ultimate team player, accepting any offensive role the Broncos have given him, including running back and gadget-guy. Not to mention that he's a two-time All-Pro returner.

Mims simply makes plays. He's a threat to take it to the house whenever he touches the ball, and he has something in spades that Franklin and Bryant can only dream of: the clutch gene.

Think back to Mims's insane fourth-quarter touchdown catch in the clutch against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17 of the 2024 season, where Nix threw up a got-to-have-it prayer, and the receiver went up over two defenders and came down with it in the end zone. Touchdown.

Mims made a huge play in the clutch in the Broncos' wild fourth-quarter comeback against the New York Giants in Week 7 this past season. Think back to his contributions in the Broncos' 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs last season. Without Mims, Denver doesn't win that game.

Mims finished as the Broncos' leading receiver in the playoffs — not Sutton, not Franklin, and not Bryant. Why the Broncos don't go out of their way to find more snaps for Mims will always be beyond me, but the onus is on him to earn more looks as the No. 3 this year behind Waddle and Sutton.

Mims will certainly have plenty of motivation to shine in 2026, as he enters a contract year. The Broncos might extend him in August, but there's a chance they'll wait to see how he does in Year 4, and maybe circle the Week 10 bye as the point to reexamine whether to extend him.

The Takeaway

The competition for WR3 is going to be a hot one this summer. I look forward to seeing how Franklin, Bryant, and Mims vie with each other for the opportunity to feature in this new-look offense helmed by Webb and quarterbacked by the ascending Nix.

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