Broncos make surprise reunion signing to bolster wide receiver depth

The bad news is that the Denver Broncos could be short-handed at the wide receiver position against the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. Troy Franklin suffered a hamstring injury early in the Divisional Round against the Bills, and rookie Pat Bryant left the game with concussion symptoms as well.

In order to make sure they've got plenty of depth available, the Broncos have brought back a familiar face in somewhat of a surprising blast from the past.

Former Broncos wide receiver Brandon Johnson, an undrafted free agent success story, is once again a current Broncos wide receiver after reports that he signed to the practice squad.

Broncos bring back wide receiver Brandon Johnson to boost ailing WR room

With both Franklin and Bryant potentially being out for the AFC Championship Game, we can likely expect the Broncos to call up veteran Elijah Moore from the practice squad once again. And it's not impossible to think that Johnson could join him.

Johnson played for the Broncos throughout the 2023 season, and also caught some passes from Jarrett Stidham in the preseason...

Johnson also caught a touchdown (and two-point conversion) the last time the Broncos faced off against the Patriots, which happeend to be Russell Wilson's last start with Denver.

In 20 games with the Broncos between 2022 and 2023, Johnson had 25 receptions on 34 targets and five of them were touchdowns. He caught the Hail Mary touchdown against the Washington Commanders early in the 2023 season to give the Broncos a chance to tie the game, but they ended up falling short on the 2-point play.

Johnson's time on the Broncos' roster in both 2023 and 2024 has given him a lot of time on the practice field developing chemistry with Jarrett Stidham, who is in line to make his first start since 2023. It might not seem like a big deal for the team to make this move, but every little bit counts.

Johnson obviously has made a lot of big plays in few opportunities in the NFL, and could be thrust into action on the game's biggest stage. On 30 targets in 2023, Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham had a combined QB rating of 133.9 when throwing the ball his direction.

Given his history in the offense and chemistry with Stidham, the Broncos are fortunate he was available at this point in the season to provide some depth at a time when they absolutely had to have it.