{"id":323066,"date":"2025-08-28T01:07:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T01:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/323066\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T01:07:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T01:07:10","slug":"the-moment-that-proved-to-troy-franklin-that-he-belonged-in-nfl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/323066\/","title":{"rendered":"The moment that proved to Troy Franklin that he belonged in NFL"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the Denver Broncos<\/a>, one of the most encouraging stories entering the upcoming season revolves around wide receiver Troy Franklin. The second-year wideout found his turning point in the most unlikely of places, a lopsided playoff loss that offered one personal victory. It was the moment Franklin realized he truly belonged in the NFL<\/a>\u2014and it has shaped everything since.<\/p>\n

The quote came from DNVR\u2019s Zac Stevens, who posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) about Franklin\u2019s emotional reflection<\/a> in camp. In Stevens\u2019 post, he noted that the wide receiver felt significantly more confident entering Year 2 after that defining play.<\/p>\n

\u201cTroy Franklin said the touchdown catch in the playoffs against the Bills took a lot of weight off his shoulders and showed him he belonged in the league.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s carried over into this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a player coming off a modest rookie season, that playoff touchdown changed the narrative. Franklin finished 2024 with just 28 receptions, 263 yards, and 2 touchdowns while playing behind veteran wideouts. But in the Broncos\u2019 Wild Card matchup against the Buffalo Bills, he caught a 43-yard touchdown from quarterback Bo Nix<\/a>\u2014a deep strike that felt like a personal breakthrough. It wasn\u2019t just a touchdown\u2014it was a moment of belief.<\/p>\n

Franklin\u2019s path to the NFL has always been driven by upside. He played two seasons at the University of Oregon alongside Nix, who transferred from Auburn and finished his collegiate career as the Ducks\u2019 starting quarterback. Together from 2022 to 2023, they developed strong chemistry, connecting for 2,274 yards and 25 touchdowns. Now reunited in Denver, their connection was slow to emerge during the regular season, but the playoff touchdown highlighted its potential and fueled optimism for Year 2.<\/p>\n

Now, as training camp rolls on, the 22-year-old wide receiver no longer looks like a tentative rookie. He\u2019s drawing praise for sharper route-running, improved timing, and a noticeable boost in confidence. That\u2019s especially important in a crowded Broncos wide receiver room that features Courtland Sutton, Pat Bryant, Marvin Mims Jr., and Trent Sherfield Sr. In a competition this tight, every rep matters\u2014and every impression counts.<\/p>\n

The connection with Nix may prove pivotal in unlocking Franklin\u2019s full potential. The Broncos\u2019 second-year quarterback is coming off a record-breaking rookie campaign, during which he built timing and trust with Franklin\u2014an edge that could pay dividends in regular-season play. Coaches have taken notice, and with Denver\u2019s offense looking to improve on its mid-tier production from 2024, Franklin has emerged as one of the team\u2019s top breakout candidates.<\/p>\n

The Broncos are coming off a 10-7 season and a return<\/a> to the postseason, and now they\u2019re looking to take the next step. Moments like Franklin\u2019s touchdown in the playoffs can accelerate that progress. For a young receiver who was once buried on the depth chart, that single play didn\u2019t just move the chains\u2014it reshaped expectations both inside the building and out.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Franklin\u2019s evolution underscores the mental side of NFL success. Confidence isn\u2019t built through stats alone. Sometimes it takes one unforgettable moment to flip the switch\u2014and for Franklin, that moment arrived at the perfect time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For the Denver Broncos, one of the most encouraging stories entering the upcoming season revolves around wide receiver…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2062],"tags":[925,232,231,258,2426,7,6,4656],"class_list":{"0":"post-323066","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-denver-broncos","8":"tag-bo-nix","9":"tag-broncos","10":"tag-denver","11":"tag-denver-broncos","12":"tag-denverbroncos","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-preseason"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115103717468009191","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}