Broncos Receiver Knows Big Changes Are Coming As Waddle Shows Out In Minicamp

The Denver Broncos are going through some big changes with their wide receivers, as a new acquisition, Jaylen waddle just made a splash in OTAs and minicamp. That's going to mean major changes for the other receivers, and Troy Franklin is well aware of what's happening, as he noted in the report from Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.  

“He's a guy who's coming in who’s a first-rounder,” Franklin told Luca Evans of The Denver Post on Tuesday. “We traded high value for him, and he’s going to get his touches, you know?”

Franklin also got his touches last year, and he was extremely productive. He was second on the team with 104 targets, 65 catches, 709 receiving yards and six touchdowns, according to Williams, and those numbers were surpassed only by those of Courtland Sutton. 

The one number that doesn’t stick out is Franklin’s yards per catch stat, as he averaged just 10.9 yards per catch. That’s a big part of the reason the Broncos traded for Waddle, even though Franklin’s numbers were likely due to Denver’s inconsistent offense, which often put quarterback Bo Nix in long-yardage situations. 

Franklin is offering a positive take on all this, with only Marvin Mims Jr. saying things that are counter to the party line at this point. 

“But I think the same thing to where we’re not just going to be predictable. . . . ‘Oh, yeah, we’re giving 17 [Waddle] the ball every play.’ It’s just one of those deals where I think we just always gotta be ready.”

Before the trade Franklin said he was shooting for his first 1,000 yard season, but that’s unlikely now. Sutton will still be targeted as the Broncos’ possession receiver, and he and Waddle are expected to command most of the targets. 

Franklin’s spin for the moment is that he’ll get better looks, but he doesn’t have a lot of choice with his comments. The deal is done, and Waddle showed out in minicamp, plus Waddle also has a big contract that will guarantee that he’s a focal point of the Broncos offense.  

“You got a guy coming in like that — obviously he’s getting paid more than me, or whatever the case is,” Franklin said in his one comment that strayed a little from what he’s supposed to say. “I feel like that’s the thought any receiver has when they get somebody coming into the receiver room, you know?”

He quickly reverted to the party line, however, when Franklin discussed his personal approach to all this. 

“But I know me, personally, I’m always up for a challenge, competition,” he concluded. “I think I’m hyper-competitive. I know what I can do out there, man. Especially just building off of last year. And I’m just building now, with him there. Trying to figure out my role in the offense now, and all that good stuff. And it’s been going good, man.”