The Denver Broncos not only have one of the best starting lineups in the NFL, but the team's depth is also quite good. On paper, the Broncos aren't missing much of anything and appear to have all the necessary pieces for a Super Bowl run this year.
The team has done wonders in the NFL Draft, as many of the team's best players were draft picks by this current front office, which has cemented itself as one of the best in the game. Sure, we've done nothing but talk about the potential of this team, which is a far cry from seeing them on the field, but it's obvious how loaded this franchise is.
And besides the obvious, specifically a new addition like Jaylen Waddle, the Broncos could have an under-the-radar breakout player on offense that no one is talking about enough heading into 2026.
Denver Broncos WR Pat Bryant had a sneaky good rookie season in 2025...
Pat Bryant was a third-round pick by the Broncos in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Illinois, and he ended up carving out a relatively productive rookie season given the circumstances. He played in 15 regular season games, but did struggle to stay on the field later in the season.
In the regular season, Bryant caught 31 of his 49 targets for a modest 378 yards and one touchdown. On the surface, this production isn't anything special, but when you dig a bit deeper, it actually creates a formula for a potential breakout season in 2026.
Bryant had a very encouraging four-game stretch in the middle of the season when the Broncos faced Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, and Kansas City. The Broncos won all four of these games. During this stretch, Bryant caught 10 of 15 targets for 185 yards.
While that may not seem like much, this four-game stretch from Bryant would have averaged out to 43 receptions and 786 yards over a 17-game season, which is absolutely notable production. Furthermore, Bryant did not have a single drop during this time and also had a passer rating when targeted of 103.5, so he was quite efficient (stats from Pro Football Reference).
Over the final eight games of the season that Bryant played in, he had 40 yards or more in five of those games and did hot have a game with fewer than 20 yards. He had a career-high 82 receiving yards against the Chiefs in Week 11. During that eight-game stretch, Bryant's 17-game average was 55 receptions for 706 yards.
Once again, that is notable production. But wait, there's even more.
Including the Broncos top receivers in 2025 (Courtland Sutton, Troy Franklin, Bryant, and Marvin Mims Jr), Bryant had the highest success rate and the second-highest catch rate. Success rate is an underrated stat that carries a lot of weight for running backs and wide receivers.
Success rate is defined as gaining at least 40 percent of the required yards on first down, 60 percent of the required yards on second down, and 100 percent of the required yards on third and fourth down.
Bryant's success rate of 55.1 percent was quite good, and, compared to the team's other notable receivers in 2025, looked like this:
Bryant: 55.1 percent
Sutton: 54 percent
Franklin: 48.1 percent
Mims: 43.1 percent
There are a lot of 'undercover' statistics from his 2025 season that could tell us a breakout is coming. Bryant is also a good blocker in the run game and is on the more physical side at the position. Even though Franklin had quite the year in 2025, I am not sure what would stop Bryant from overtaking Franklin in the wide receiver pecking order for 2026.
Bryant is a bigger, more physical, and better overall wide receiver than Franklin. Yes, Bryant will need to stay on the field, but he does have the formula in place to be a breakout candidate for the Broncos.
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