Feb. 20, 2026, 8:00 a.m. MT

The Denver Broncos attempted to make a splash at wide receiver last offseason, but they never got a big move across the line.

First, Denver pursued Stefon Diggs during NFL free agency in March, but he opted to join the New England Patriots instead. After that, Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka was considered a likely target for the Broncos in the NFL draft, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took the receiver one spot before Denver at pick No. 19 last April. Seven months later, Denver reached out to the Miami Dolphins about Jaylen Waddle ahead of the NFL trade deadline, but they did not end up striking a deal.

Broncos general manager George Paton was asked during his end-of-season press conference last month if he regrets not finalizing a trade for a wide receiver ahead of the in-season deadline, especially after the team suffered several injuries at the position.

“No, I don’t regret that,” Paton said. “I mean at the time… We like our receiving group. I don’t think our receiving group held us back [in the AFC Championship] game. I don’t look at it like that. We have some young receivers in Pat Bryant, Troy Franklin, and ‘Mimsy’ [Marvin Mims] and ‘Sutt’ [Courtland Sutton]. I don’t think that’s the reason we didn’t make the Super Bowl. I think those guys, in their own right, have had good years.

“We had some injuries in the end that hurt us. Going back to Buffalo, we had three receivers for the rest [of the game], I think from the second quarter on. That’s tough. Then in this game, we had four. We always look at everything. I don’t think what was available would’ve made much of a difference for us. We’ll look at everything, every position. I appreciate that, yes.”

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Bryant suffered a concussion in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs and Franklin suffered a hamstring injury, leaving Denver thin at the position in that game. Going into 2026, the Broncos have Sutton, Mims, Bryant, Franklin and Michael Bandy under contract. With only five WRs currently signed, Denver will undoubtedly make several additions at the position this offseason. Time will tell if the Broncos plan to make a splash at WR.

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