Broncos Coach Sean Payton Shares Vision for WR Troy Franklin

Holding court at the NFL Scouting Combine, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton explained his vision for now-sophomore wide receiver Troy Franklin following a "good" albeit uneven rookie campaign from the speedy Oregon product.

Payton has been down this road before with a still-developing wideout — and is prepared to travel it again.

“We see him as a ‘Z’ [receiver]. We move our guys around a bit, so it’s not exclusively," he told reporters in Indianapolis. "I thought he had a good rookie year. He’s sometimes in that same position where [WR Marvin] Mims [Jr.] is at, so we have two guys. We have certainly gotten faster because both of those guys can run. We saw that growth spurt with Marvin in Year 2, but I would say I was real pleased how he handled the totality of his rookie season. It can be difficult, and I see him in that role.”

The Broncos traded up in the fourth round of last April's draft for the right to pair quarterback Bo Nix with his college teammate, who connected for 23 touchdowns during their time in Eugene. The chemistry, however, did not fully translate to the pros.

Franklin appeared in 16 regular season games, snagging 28 of 53 targets for 263 yards and two scores. He did have a long TD reception in Denver's playoff loss to Buffalo but otherwise struggled with timing issues and inopportune cases of the dropsies.

The hope is, as Payton said, that Franklin replicates the Marvin Mims arc. In other words, the light bulb flips on — quite brightly — in Year 2. Mims, after a slow start to his still-infantile career, is now an All-Pro and integral part of the offense. Perhaps a similar fate awaits Franklin.

But, unlike last season, the path to playing time won't be so unobstructed. The Broncos are expected to invest heavily in offensive playmakers to complement Mims and WR1 Courtland Sutton, namely a three-down running back and a elite pass-catching tight end.

Franklin will have to earn his reps, proving capable of being a legitimate long-term weapon without resting on his prior Nix laurels. Evidently, the brain trust believes he's up to the task.