Broncos Need WR Troy Franklin to Develop & Turn the Corner in 2025

Troy Franklin's rookie season had its ups and downs, and now the Denver Broncos need him to take the next step in his development.

Jan 12, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has a word with wide receiver Troy Franklin (16) in the fourth quarter of an AFC wild card game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have a lot of potential in their wide receiver room. However, potential can often go unrealized at the NFL level.

One of those players with potential is second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin, and the Broncos need him to develop. Franklin isn't the only one the Broncos are hoping turns a corner in 2025, but he may be one of the most important.  

While Marvin Mims Jr. has shown to be an explosive threat, Franklin brings something to the offense that the Broncos still need, which is why it's so essential for him to develop. Franklin has the speed and pacing to push defenses vertically, which can help open up Sean Payton's offense underneath. The other receivers can then work with more space, which better suits their skill set. 

The offseason training program is in the books, and there have been promising reports about Franklin's performance. He has added some mass, and the repetition of the work is doing him some good.

“There’s that [saying that] repetition is the mother of learning," Payton said of Franklin last week. "You’re seeing him play faster with a much greater awareness within each play. He’s extremely explosive, and I think he’s, I would say, five pounds heavier. A little thicker. He’s had a good spring.”

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Of all the receivers in the room, Franklin's spot on the roster is the one in most jeopardy, though we're not talking about anything imminent. While the expectation is for him to make the roster, his lack of special teams ability and his inconsistencies could make his seat slightly warm, especially as other young wideouts rise up around him. 

Franklin's biggest issue as a rookie was tracking the ball over his shoulder. This led to multiple disconnects between him and Bo Nix despite their time together at Oregon.

While Franklin was a deep threat, he wasn’t tasked with tracking the ball over his shoulder often, which was one of the concerns surrounding his game coming out of college and provided a reality check when it showed up multiple times throughout the season. 

Of course, if Franklin can improve his ball-tracking ability, the next step is to strengthen his hands. There were times when he tracked the ball well, but he wasn’t able to come down with it because his hands weren't great.

This isn’t a situation where one or the other being great is good enough; he needs both of them. Drops were not only a Franklin issue, but an issue for the Broncos' receiver room as a whole, and everyone needs to see improvement to avoid holding back the passing offense. 

The Broncos traded up for Franklin in the 2024 NFL draft early in the fourth round, but that doesn’t guarantee him safety with Payton. During his time as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Payton cut top 100 picks multiple times after one season, including one third-rounder before his rookie season. If you're not cutting it, your draft status won’t protect you with Payton.

If Franklin doesn’t develop, then the Broncos would likely find themselves turning to Joaquin Davis, an undrafted rookie out of North Carolina Central. The issue with Davis is that while he brings similar traits to the offense, with improvements as a blocker and on special teams, North Carolina Central to the NFL is a significant jump in the level of competition. Franklin's experience can help and even be easier to build upon than betting on Davis, given the leap he is making. 

Bottom Line

The Broncos need Franklin to develop, as it could be a tremendous boost to the passing offense. In Payton’s offense, the Broncos need that vertical stretcher to help take the top off the defense and open up the underneath, intermediate, and middle areas of the field, which are key points of attack and where Nix showed up well.

If Franklin can improve his ball tracking and hands, he could become an X-factor for the offense as a situational and rotational wide receiver, helping to elevate a room full of potential but lacking in realized production.