Broncos being forced to correct Week 1 mistake by playing exciting rookie WR

It was a rough season opener for the Denver Broncos at the wide receiver position. Between dropped passes and basically nothing in terms of yardage after the catch, it was a miserable performance from a position group that head coach Sean Payton seemingly had a lot of faith in at the end of the preseason and training camp.

It was just one week, but it does appear after what we saw against the Seahawks that his faith was at least somewhat misplaced. The Broncos' decision to cut Tim Patrick along with other intriguing young players like Jalen Virgil and Brandon Johnson was one thing, but to only give second-year player Marvin Mims 12 snaps and give practice squad player Lil'Jordan Humphrey such a substantial role was more than a little frustrating to watch.

On top of it all, fans couldn't help but wonder how much of a difference fourth-round pick Troy Franklin could have made in the game with his outstanding speed. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see that impact because Franklin was inactive for the game against Seattle.

It looks like that's going to change for the team's Week 2 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers...

Broncos rookie WR Troy Franklin expected to play vs. Steelers

The Broncos traded up to get Franklin back in the Spring and Sean Payton actually revealed that they had a 2nd-round grade on him. The only reason why the Broncos didn't take Franklin when he was available with their 76th overall pick in the 3rd round was because they had a higher grade on pass rusher Jonah Elliss.

The fact that Franklin was available into Day 3 kept Sean Payton up the night before and GM George Paton got the deal done to trade up and select the former Oregon Ducks star.

Franklin had his issues in training camp with dropped passes, but we also saw late in the preseason that his dynamic speed and playmaking ability could give a huge jolt to a Broncos' offense that struggled badly to get things going against Seattle's zone-heavy defense.

Playing against a more man coverage-heavy defense like Pittsburgh should give the Broncos more opportunities to win one-on-one matchup and get playmakers out in space, but that Steelers defense is fast and disciplined. It helps to have a playmaker like Troy Franklin, even if he's just providing a threat deep down the field without the ball in his hands.