The Denver Broncos have gotten some nice returns from the wide receiver group thus far. While we are still early in the training camp stages, we have seen guys like Pat Bryant and Marvin Mims Jr. make a ton of noise. Monday's practice was the first padded practice of the offseason, and the second-year Bryant again made headlines for all the right reasons:
Biggest takeaways from Broncos training camp practice today:
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevens) August 3, 2026
—Luke Wattenberg left practice with a trainer
—Riley Moss showed out, had jump ball INT
—Pat Bryant made multiple big catches
—Broncos’ pass rush was strong
—Pads on
Mims has been making some plays as well, and it's clear that both of those young players are taking advantage of the opportunities thus far. Guys like Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton are the two reliable veterans. Both are battle-tested and are going to be the top two options in the room.
But this has gotten me thinking a bit. With the wide receiver moves and performances this offseason and into camp, how might the room look when the 2026 NFL Season rolls around? Let's predict the room here.
Predicting the Denver Broncos wide receiver room as training camp continues
How might the wide receiver room look for the initial roster for 2026? Well, the Broncos have started things out with five wide receivers on the roster, and I am not sure why that would change. Keeping five receivers feels likely unless head coach Sean Payton suddenly wants to do things differently:
-Jaylen Waddle
-Courtland Sutton
-Pat Bryant
-Marvin Mims Jr.
-Lil'Jordan Humphrey
Troy Franklin - Projected trade with the Washington Commanders for a 2027 4th-Round Pick
Could the Broncos move forward with these five and ship Franklin to a different team? This could end up being quite similar to the Devaughn Vele trade that the Broncos made with the New Orleans Saints last offseason. As of now, it doesn't seem like Franklin has made many plays, as Luca Evans even observed that there weren't many touches for Franklin during Monday's practice.
Furthermore, a couple of days ago, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, who has been with the Broncos before, got in on the action. While Humphrey isn't anything more than a depth option, he does bring 'plus' blocking ability, and that's something that Franklin just does not have.
-Jonah Elliss with a great tip at LOS during one team period. Que Robinson also getting rotational OLB reps
— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans) August 1, 2026
-IDL (Uwazurike, Sai’vion Jones, Onyedim, Jackson, Henningsen) is true open competition
-A lot of looks for Lil’Jordan Humphrey. WRs all made plays
I really do not think Franklin being dealt would at all be a surprise. Sure, things can change, and the Broncos might not need to make a move, but for the sake of fielding the best possible receiver room that checks all the boxes, having Humphrey in the room and not Franklin would actually make sense.
We all know that Waddle, Sutton, Mims, and Bryant are very likely not going anywhere. Waddle and Sutton are the go-to players in this room, Mims is an All-Pro returner with blazing speed, and Bryant is only in his second year.
When we get closer to the final roster cuts, I could see the Broncos dangling Franklin in trade talks for a receiver-needy team, and the Washington Commanders would make sense, in my opinion. This team is trying to get back into the playoffs after getting within one game of the Super Bowl in 2024, and currently, their receiver room doesn't feature a whole lot outside of Terry McLaurin.
Yes, a lot can happen between now and when this would need to go down, but the early returns from training camp would indicate that another trade could be in the works.
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