{"id":993432,"date":"2026-09-06T13:54:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T13:54:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/993432\/"},"modified":"2026-09-06T13:54:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T13:54:41","slug":"whats-powering-broncos-wr-pat-bryants-breakout-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/993432\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s powering Broncos WR Pat Bryant’s breakout summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pat Bryant\u2019s<\/a> braids bob along as he nods his head.<\/p>\n

He smiles as the question unfurls.<\/p>\n

Yes, it quickly becomes clear that the second-year Broncos wide receiver<\/a> knows what his head coach has said about him.<\/p>\n

All of the good stuff, to be sure. That Bryant has authored a highlight-stuffed training camp. That the Broncos will not be able to keep him off the field. That he shows signs of being a special player.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not the question at hand, though.<\/p>\n

The question is about the one thing Payton mentions virtually every single time Bryant has come up since Denver drafted him in the third round of the 2025 draft.<\/p>\n

When Payton\u2019s mental rolodex spins to No. 13 in orange and blue, he will almost certainly mention, in some form or fashion, that Bryant catches the ball with his feet on the ground.<\/p>\n

Sounds simple, but it is clearly among the first things that come to Payton\u2019s mind. Offensive coordinator Davis Webb mentioned the same earlier in camp and called it one of \u201cthe things we were attracted to when he was coming out of Illinois.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"CENTENNIALPat Bryant (13) of the Denver Broncos takes the field during training camp at Broncos Park in Centennial, Colorado on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Does Bryant know this is his coaches\u2019 scout on him? And is it an intentional part of his craft or just something he does naturally well? And, well, what the heck does it mean to him?<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just, as a receiver, your job is to catch the ball, right?\u201d he explains. \u201cBut if you can keep your feet on the ground, when you catch the ball, then the defender\u2019s gotta think twice about what angle I\u2019m going to take.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the ability to keep your feet on the ground and run through the catch \u2014\u00a0I\u2019m not the fastest guy, but I know there\u2019s certain tools to my game where I can get an advantage on a guy that is faster than me.\u201d<\/p>\n

A gifted catcher<\/p>\n

This has been core to Bryant\u2019s game since high school, he said. He attributes his hand-eye coordination to playing baseball growing up. He played catcher and center field and developed into a natural hands catcher.<\/p>\n

The way Bryant sees it, there are obviously times when a receiver has to go up high to haul in a pass, dive to reel one in and all of that. Otherwise, if you\u2019re catching the ball anyway, besides with your cleats firmly in the ground and your body on the move, you\u2019re letting on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s confidence,\u201d Bryant said with a shrug. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got to jump to catch the ball, you don\u2019t really have confidence and trust in your hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant\u2019s got both in spades.<\/p>\n

The second-year wide receiver worked his way into the Broncos\u2019 receiver rotation as a rookie in 2025 by quickly establishing himself as his room\u2019s best run blocker. He showed a willingness to operate in the middle of the field and the toughness to ward off defenders and not mind the traffic between the hashes.<\/p>\n

It took him a while to find his footing, but slowly he played more, saw more targets and caught more passes. Bryant had just four targets over Denver\u2019s first five games last season, then averaged 4.5 per game over the final 10 regular-season games he played. He finished with 31 catches for 378 yards and a touchdown, then opened the postseason with a bang. He caught passes on his first three snaps against Buffalo for 32 yards before sustaining his second concussion of the season and being ruled out for the game.<\/p>\n

Along the way, Bryant said he got increasingly comfortable with Denver\u2019s offense and the NFL game in general.<\/p>\n

\"PatPat Bryant (13) of the Denver Broncos stands on the field before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz\/The Denver Post)<\/p>\n

Nothing like the way he feels now, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy confidence is just on another level,\u201d he said. \u2026 \u201cThis year, I feel like I can go out there and be part of the offense and, when needed, make a huge play. Last year, I was thinking, \u2018OK, run my route at this depth and make sure I\u2019m catching the ball.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I feel like I\u2019m catching the ball, getting those yards after catch and just having that confidence that I\u2019m better than the man that\u2019s in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, Bryant describes the difference between his first and second seasons as being the difference between actively trying not to mess up and now rarely considering that error is even a possible outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you understand the offense, then it\u2019s almost, like, hard to make mistakes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u2018He\u2019s the complete package\u2019<\/p>\n

The 23-year-old hasn\u2019t appeared to make many since the Broncos reported for training camp on July 29. He made plays nearly every time he took the field through the dog days of camp. When the preseason opener began, it seemed fitting that Jarrett Stidham opened the proceedings with a 15-yard dart to Bryant, who was working back to the ball.<\/p>\n

It was classic Bryant, too. He worked up the field, came back and didn\u2019t just use his 6-foot-2 frame to shield defenders from the ball. He came back to it with authority and snatched it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can attack the ball while it\u2019s in the air and take down the flight time, it\u2019s impossible to stop,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

His whole summer, really, has been on the attack.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s the guy in that room, in my opinion \u2014 he blocks, catches the ball in traffic,\u201d defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said during training camp. \u201cHe can track the ball vertically. He\u2019s great in the red zone. He\u2019s the complete package. He\u2019s got great size. He loves to play \u2013 the same player every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n

So much of the offseason attention on the Broncos\u2019 offense, rightfully so, has been on the ascension of offensive coordinator Davis Webb to play-calling duties and the acquisition of Jaylen Waddle via trade in March. Along with quarterback Bo Nix\u2019s return to good health after fracturing his ankle in January, Waddle and Webb will likely garner the lion\u2019s share of attention once the regular season gets rolling, too. Bryant\u2019s fine with that. He called the attention and high praise he\u2019s received this summer \u201cnice\u201d but was quick to say that he didn\u2019t really see much reason to make a big deal about training camp and preseason performance. Regular-season games are what matter.<\/p>\n

Still, every once in a while, something can be gleaned from preseason. In this case, perhaps it\u2019s the most talked-about play of Denver\u2019s three exhibitions.<\/p>\n

When Waddle hauled in a 35-yarder from Nix against Green Bay on the team\u2019s opening drive \u2014 and the only possession Waddle played in the preseason \u2014\u00a0it was a glimpse at what he brings to the offense. The speed, the ability to separate. The stomach discomfort he\u2019s going to cause defensive coordinators when they, at some point, have to leave him one-on-one. It showed Webb\u2019s play-calling chops and Nix\u2019s sharp form, too.<\/p>\n

The rest of the play matters, too, though. There was Bryant, exploding out of the point position of the Broncos\u2019 bunch formation to the right, not only helping clear out space for Waddle to operate in but also blowing past Packers nickel Kamal Hadden and getting himself wide open on a crossing route. If Nix throws to Bryant rather than Waddle, it\u2019s probably as big a play and perhaps a touchdown if Bryant, as he so often does, catches the ball with his feet on the ground and gets himself turned upfield.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our pet peeves in the receiver room is not being open,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cNo matter what the route is, no matter what the coverage is, we\u2019ve got to give Bo a throw. Doesn\u2019t matter which receiver it is. It\u2019s our job \u2014 if we all get open, that\u2019s what we want for the quarterback. \u2018Who do I want to throw this to?\u2019 We are all going to go out there and make plays, and it\u2019s up to Bo to pick and choose.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bryant certainly has been a lot this summer and nobody seems to expect a slowdown. This is a guy, after all, who has a knack for catching everything on the run.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, Pat\u2019s a beast,\u201d Waddle said. \u2026 \u201cI\u2019m excited to play alongside him and I\u2019m excited for the world to get to know Pat Bryant\u2019s name.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Pat Bryant\u2019s braids bob along as he nods his head. He smiles as the question unfurls. Yes, it…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":993433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[925,232,241,48886,231,258,19602,7,3872,14706,929,1014,262,2444,2443,926,6,1011,9,3189,2832],"class_list":["post-993432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles-chargers","tag-bo-nix","tag-broncos","tag-chargers","tag-davis-webb","tag-denver","tag-denver-broncos","tag-empower-field-at-mile-high","tag-football","tag-jarrett-stidham","tag-jaylen-waddle","tag-latest-headlines","tag-los-angeles","tag-los-angeles-chargers","tag-losangeles","tag-losangeleschargers","tag-more-broncos-news","tag-nfl","tag-pat-bryant","tag-sports","tag-the-denver-post","tag-vance-joseph"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117224437899379111","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993432","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=993432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/993432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/993433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=993432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=993432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=993432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}