The Denver Broncos may not fill their third wide receiver role in a traditional sense. Instead, the Broncos could complement Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle with a mix of wideouts and other skill players, but Pat Bryant could still lead the way.
Bryant was the 74th overall pick of the 2025 draft.
He came on particularly strong in the second half of last season and, this spring and summer, is putting himself in position for a faster start in 2026.
Sean Payton Gets Honest About Pat Bryant
GettyPat Bryant could be set for a significant role in the Broncos’ offense.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton fielded a question about Bryant and where he sees the second-year wideout through this point in camp.
Payton offered a litany of items, including one about Bryant’s role in the offense.
“His weight’s at a good spot. He’s got some of the better hands in traffic, with his feet on the ground. He’s really good run after the catch,” Payton told reporters on August 3, adding, “He’s real smart. So, he’s someone that can move from X to the slot. It’ll be easy creating his role.”
Bryant, 23, caught 31 passes for 378 yards and 1 touchdown. He ranked fourth among Broncos receivers in catches and third in yards and touchdowns.
However, Bryant posted a 26-332-1 line from Week 8 on.
Pat Bryant Sends Clear Message About 2nd Season
GettyPat Bryant is excited about his second season in the NFL.
Bryant, for one, sounds ready to take a big step for the Broncos this coming season, noting that every year presents new challenges.
“At the end of the day, man, you got one goal, and it’s just to win games,” Bryant told Denver7 News’ Nick Rothschild on August 3. “But coming out here competing, man, just it being my second year, just kind of understanding the field of the league, it’s been great.”
Bryant also spoke about something he learned in 2025 that he is carrying over.
It was about his practice habits and understanding the impact of being consistent in the time between games.
“What I do [in practice] translates to the game. So, how I do things now in training camp, how I do things during practice during the season, kind of helps me,” Bryant said. “When I get to the game, it makes things a lot easier.”
Bryant also offered an encouraging take on the impacts of getting married in June.
The Broncos celebrated the couple’s nuptials, but they could be celebrating the effects on game days this season.
“I feel like it’s a lot more maturity,” Bryant said of his marriage to his wife, Tori. “Looking forward to starting the family, so I got a lot more things to work towards. I feel like it’ll give me a little extra drive.”
Pat Bryant Raves About Bo Nix & Jaylen Waddle
GettyPat Bryant loves the Broncos’ QB and WR situation.
The Broncos have raved about Bryant, and he shared strong words about a couple of notable teammates, Waddle and quarterback Bo Nix. Bryant called Nix an “amazing quarterback.”
“Him being a young quarterback, me coming into the league kind of young, just learning from him,” Bryant said. “We kind of both learned at the same time being surrounded by a great wide receiving group. A lot of vets in the room, and just coming in learning the small details, and creating those connections.”
He said “words can’t even explain what kind of player– also, what kind of teammate”–Waddle is.
“He brings a juice to the room, man. Whether it’s on the field, in the meeting room, he just–he’s the same person, all the time,” Bryant said, noting the addition of Waddle’s speed to an already “diverse” WR group. “Just having a guy like that that could just fly with that speed, to have such a diverse group in that wide receiver room. We got big guys, fast guys, guys that go up and get the ball. Whatever you want, we got it. So, just having such a diverse group like that is special.”
Bryant will look to solidify his role behind Sutton and Waddle this coming season, but he will likely still split time with Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims.
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