Pat Bryant has suffered two concussions in the last month, but it’s looking like he’ll probably play on Sunday. That’s notable, with him really coming on in the second half of the season.
Bryant was a full participant in practice on Thursday. The team will announce its injury designations after today’s practice, but it’s looking like he’ll probably be playing.
That gets my attention, with Bryant looking like he’s ready to develop into a viable receiver. He caught passes on three of Denver’s first four plays against Buffalo before exiting for the day. He was looking like he was going to be their best receiver in that game.
Definitely possible that Bryant is Denver’s leading receiver on Sunday. And possible that he’ll develop into their No. 1 guy in 2026.
Bryant, recall, was a third-round pick in April, with Sean Payton saying he saw some Michael Thomas in his game. Bryant didn’t play much in September, but started logging starter-type snaps in October. He caught 21 passes in his last five regular season games. He caught 54 passes for 984 yards and 10 TDs in his final season at Illinois, but that team didn’t have a dynamic passing offense (averaging only 217 yards, and with the rest of the team combined catching only 11 TDs in those 12 games).
Denver doesn’t have a franchise-type receiver. They’ve got 30-year-old Courtland Sutton, who’s been a good scorer; he’ll most likely be their most productive receiver again in 2026, but that probably will be his final season with the team.
The Broncos also have Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims, but they weigh only 180 and 182 pounds. At 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, Bryant is a bigger, friendlier target with stronger hands.
In a dynasty format, I think Bryant should be the first Denver wide receiver off the board. If we’re looking at just 2026, then Sutton probably makes more sense (but I’ll change my mind if Bryant rips it up on Sunday).
Admittedly, Bryant hasn’t done much yet. He caught only 31 passes in the regular season, with one touchdown. But I’m thinking it will happen for him. And it’s not all that unusual for receivers to emerge from obscurity after modest first seasons.
In the last 10 years, 54 wide receivers have finished with top-40 numbers in their second seasons (about 5-6 per year). That’s using PPR scoring. And of those 54 receivers, 22 were guys who ranked 50th or lower in production as rookies.
In the chart below, you’re seeing those 22 receivers (along with the 2025 candidates to do the same). I’m not listing the breakout numbers from their second seasons, I’m instead showing the more ordinary rookie stats.
Careful readers may notice that Luther Burden isn’t listed. He’s also likely to step up next year. But Burden did enough as a rookie to make the top 50 (as did Tetairoa McMillan and Emeka Egbuka – different conversation with those guys).
In the chart below, the attempt is to identify receivers who broke out in their second season. So I’m not listing guys like A.J. Brown and Puka Nacua, who simply hit the ground running.
Of the other 2025 players who are listed, Tory Horton and Travis Hunter are a little different in that they missed over half their rookie seasons. Both we’re looking strong before their injuries. Isaac TeSlaa had a late flurry with the Lions, showing that he’s for real (he was drafted in about the same area as Bryant).
I’m not giving up on Matthew Golden. I expect he’ll play a much bigger role for the Packers (particularly if Romeo Doubs signs elsewhere). And I could see the Chargers moving on from 33-year-old Keenan Allen, with Tre Harris taking on a significantly larger role.
In general, the 2025 class of wide receivers is looking just fine.
| ROOKIE RECEIVERS WHO BROKE OUT IN YEAR 2 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | aa | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | PPR | Rk | Next |
| 2015 | Tyrell Williams, S.D. | 4 | 2 | 90 | 45.0 | 1 | 17.0 | 158 | 69-1059-7 |
| 2015 | Cameron Meredith, Chi. | 11 | 11 | 120 | 10.9 | 0 | 23.0 | 147 | 66-888-4 |
| 2015 | Jamison Crowder, Was. | 16 | 59 | 604 | 10.2 | 2 | 135.6 | 51 | 67-847-7 |
| 2016 | Mike Thomas, LAR | 15 | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 0 | 6.7 | 177 | 39-756-6 |
| 2016 | Robby Anderson, NYJ | 16 | 42 | 587 | 14.0 | 2 | 116.9 | 68 | 63-941-7 |
| 2017 | Mike Williams, LAC | 10 | 11 | 95 | 8.6 | 0 | 20.5 | 139 | 43-664-10 |
| 2017 | Dede Westbrook, Jac. | 7 | 27 | 339 | 12.6 | 1 | 66.9 | 90 | 66-717-5 |
| 2017 | Zay Jones, Buff. | 15 | 27 | 316 | 11.7 | 2 | 70.6 | 87 | 56-652-7 |
| 2017 | Corey Davis, Ten. | 11 | 34 | 375 | 11.0 | 0 | 71.5 | 85 | 65-891-4 |
| 2017 | Chris Godwin, T.B. | 16 | 34 | 525 | 15.4 | 1 | 92.5 | 72 | 59-842-7 |
| 2017 | Kenny Golladay, Det. | 11 | 28 | 477 | 17.0 | 3 | 94.6 | 70 | 70-1063-5 |
| 2018 | DJ Chark, Jac. | 11 | 14 | 174 | 12.4 | 0 | 31.4 | 141 | 73-1008-8 |
| 2018 | Michael Gallup, Dall. | 16 | 33 | 507 | 15.4 | 2 | 97.7 | 78 | 66-1107-6 |
| 2018 | Christian Kirk, Ari. | 12 | 43 | 590 | 13.7 | 3 | 123.5 | 58 | 68-709-3 |
| 2018 | Courtland Sutton, Den. | 16 | 42 | 704 | 16.8 | 4 | 136.3 | 50 | 72-1112-6 |
| 2020 | Van Jefferson, LAR | 16 | 19 | 220 | 11.6 | 1 | 46.9 | 122 | 50-802-6 |
| 2020 | Michael Pittman, Ind. | 13 | 40 | 503 | 12.6 | 1 | 98.9 | 80 | 88-1082-6 |
| 2020 | Darnell Mooney, Chi. | 16 | 61 | 631 | 10.3 | 4 | 152.1 | 50 | 81-1055-4 |
| 2021 | Joshua Palmer, LAC | 17 | 33 | 353 | 10.7 | 4 | 92.9 | 76 | 72-769-3 |
| 2022 | Romeo Doubs, G.B. | 13 | 42 | 425 | 10.1 | 3 | 103.6 | 70 | 59-674-8 |
| 2023 | Quentin Johnston, LAC | 17 | 38 | 431 | 11.3 | 2 | 94.0 | 74 | 55-711-8 |
| 2024 | Troy Franklin, Den. | 16 | 28 | 263 | 9.4 | 2 | 67.1 | 98 | 65-709-6 |
| 2025 | • Elic Ayomanor, Ten. | 16 | 41 | 515 | 12.6 | 4 | 116.5 | 55 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Tez Johnson, T.B. | 16 | 28 | 322 | 11.5 | 5 | 92.4 | 68 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Isaac TeSlaa, Det. | 17 | 16 | 239 | 14.9 | 6 | 75.9 | 82 | TBD |
| 2025 | Pat Bryant, Den. | 15 | 31 | 378 | 12.2 | 1 | 74.8 | 85 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Matthew Golden, G.B. | 14 | 29 | 361 | 12.4 | 0 | 70.0 | 89 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Tre Harris, LAC | 17 | 30 | 324 | 10.8 | 1 | 69.4 | 91 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Jaylin Noel, Hou. | 17 | 26 | 292 | 11.2 | 2 | 68.4 | 92 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Tory Horton, Sea. | 8 | 13 | 161 | 12.4 | 6 | 65.1 | 96 | TBD |
| 2025 | • Travis Hunter, Jac. | 7 | 28 | 298 | 10.6 | 1 | 63.8 | 97 | TBD |
—Ian Allan
