A Lil’Jordan Humphrey is preferable to A Lot’O’Jordan Humphrey, don’t you think?
Hey, we get it. It’s tempting to dust off a slightly used Troy Franklin, stick him on eBay, and see what kind of offers come rolling in. With Jayden Waddle bringing sexy back to the Broncos’ wide receiver room, somebody who played a lot in 2025 is likely going to see their 2026 snaps take a dip.
But before you decide that Franklin is surplus to requirements, that he’s disposable, consider the short-term consequences. Consider the depth chart. Because if the last three years have taught Broncos Country anything, it’s this:
1. A wide-receiver screen in the red zone is a wasted down;
2. Should Humphrey be anywhere near the top of the two-deep, Broncos coach Sean Payton is going to find a reason to play him. Like, a lot.
To wit: Last November, Payton brought Humphrey, whom he’d signed to the Saints as an undrafted rookie in 2019, back to Denver. Lil’Jordan wound up making almost as many starts in seven games as a Bronco (two) as Marvin Mims Jr. did in 15 contests (four).
Over the Broncos’ last four regular-season games, per Lineups.com, Humphrey logged 118 offensive snaps while Mims landed 95. Humphrey got twice as many offensive snaps (46) as Marvelous Marv (21) in Week 15 and nearly 10 more (43-34) during Week 17. In the playoffs, Humphrey landed 91 snaps in two games; Mims got 85.
Keeping Franklin around doesn’t just keep Lil’Jordan honest. It might even keep him off the field. And if that’s not a good enough reason for the Broncos to retain our man Troy in orange and blue, we’ll give you five more to chew on:
1. He makes the Broncos’ WR room more diverse
A Broncos wideout room with Franklin can beat you in more than a half-dozen ways. As currently comprised, it also helps to smooth over one of quarterback Bo Nix’s rough edges.
According to SumerSports.com data, Nix was 35th out of 42 NFL QBs who logged at least 100 plays last year in Yards Per Attempt vs. zone defenses (6.72). Waddle rolls into Dove Valley with a history of being a zone-buster.
He’s also proven to be dangerous in all three levels of the passing game. Waddle’s done some of his best work in between the hashmarks, which was an absolute dead zone for the Broncos’ passing game a year ago. The ex-Alabama star can beat defenders in foot races up the seam or along the boundary.
Which is, on paper, a savvy complement to Sutton, who can move the chains, body up smaller foes outside the hashes and win jump balls in the end zone.
Pat Bryant has the goods to do a lot of the Sutton stuff, only with a younger frame. Mims is a return weapon and gadget specialist who can exploit mismatches anywhere. Franklin can stretch the field to win battles deep (4.41 time in the 40) or beat you short. If you line up Waddle next to Franklin, defenders are never going to be completely sure who’s going where. Or when.
2. He’ll make other wideouts have to work to get snaps
Waddle doesn’t just push everybody who’s not Sutton down a peg. He makes them work that much harder just to see the field.
Of the NFL’s top 15 players in drops last season, the Broncos put three on the list, most of any team in the league. (The Lions and Jaguars had two each.) In terms of drop percentage, per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Denver targets made up two of the NFL’s top 10. (Old friend Jerry Jeudy was 13th, if you’re curious, dropping 9.4% of the balls thrown at him last year.)
“When it’s going good, it’s very contagious,” Franklin said last December. “Things just get to rolling … once everybody gets that first catch, (when they) go for 5 (yards), 10 (yards), whatever the case is, then somebody else wants to make a play. So it’s just, feed off them.”
Want snaps? Don’t drop the rock.
3. He bolsters the depth
The Broncos started six different wide receivers at various points during the 2025 regular season. They started six different guys there in 2024. Ditto for 2023.
The more bodies, and good bodies, the merrier. Bryant went through a scary collision against Jacksonville in Week 16, getting concussed in the process. He went on to suffer another concussion vs. Buffalo and rack up a hamstring injury on the Broncos’ first drive of the AFC Championship Game. Mims missed Weeks 9 and 10 last season recovering from a concussion.
“At the end of the day, we’ve got fighters on this team,” Mims said after Denver’s divisional round win over the Bills. “We’ve got guys who are selfless. No matter what their role is on this team, they’re going to go out there and give it their all. And that’s what we need to be able to go and just advance the playoffs.”
4. He’s got a rapport with Bo Nix
You might take a Duck out of Oregon, but you’ll never take the Oregon out of a Duck. Franklin and Nix played two seasons together in Eugene (2022, 2023), during which the former caught 25 touchdowns over those two years as a collegian.
Franklin added nine more TD receptions as a Bronco, eight in the regular season. Nothing builds trust — and continuity — quite like reps.
“I mean, (when) you see that, it’s a huge thing,” Broncos tight end Adam Trautman told me last fall. “And then it just develops over time — throws in practice, throws in training camp, throws in the offseason, it all just accumulates. And then it’s like, (in a) big moment, I trust (Troy).”
5. He’s relatively cheap — and young
In a capped sport, you want all the production you can muster from star contributors while they’re playing on rookie contracts. For one, because it’s cost-effective. For another, it allows you to spend more on veterans to fill in other holes on the roster as they pop up.
Franklin’s slated for a cap hit of $1.289 million in 2026 and a $1.404-million hit in 2027. His 2025 salary average ($1.218 million) ranked 130th among NFL wideouts, per Spotrac.com. Meanwhile, his catches (65, good for 39th), receiving yards (709, good for 46th) and TD receptions (six, tied for 26th) all ranked among the league’s top 50 last fall.
So far, that’s an awfully good value on return for a fourth-round pick, especially one who just turned 23. In a league where storm clouds lurk around just about every corner, Franklin’s the kind of umbrella you want to keep within arm’s reach. Just in case.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.