Did Troy Franklin earn a bigger role after his performance against the Colts?

The Denver Broncos know that they have a solidified top receiver in Courtland Sutton. Behind him, there hasn’t been much clarity as to who the No. 2 wideout is among the group of Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr. Trent Sherfield Sr. and Pat Bryant. In Sunday’s loss against the Indianapolis Colts, it was Franklin who stood out from the crowd and showed what he can bring to the table as the first guy behind Sutton.

Franklin’s nine targets, eight receptions and 89 yards were all the most for any player in the orange and blue on Sunday, and all career highs for him. He was one of three players to catch a touchdown and was making plays after the catch with the ball in his hands. He also had more opportunities to make a name for himself than any other secondary receiver for the Broncos since the start of the 2024 season.

Troy Franklin ran a route on 87.5% of the Broncos dropbacks in Week 2.

That was just the third time since Week 1 of last season that a non-Courtland Sutton Denver pass-catcher has cleared 80%.

– Josh Reynolds Week 1 in 2024, 83.7%
– Lil'Jordan Humphrey Week 4 in 2024, 80.8%
-…

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) September 15, 2025

The majority of his nine targets were screen passes and RPOs that were not deep passes. He had the one off-script play with Bo Nix in which he turned up the sideline and extended to make a great catch, and another intermediate route in which Nix just missed him. Head coach Sean Payton seemed to put an emphasis on getting the ball in his hands quickly out wide to let him make some plays.

here are all 8 of Troy Franklin’s Week 2 catches

went for 89 yards and a touchdown

featured: Two RPOs – Three screens – One great off script play with his college QB – and a designed touchdown inside the 5 pic.twitter.com/ljmiMznSla

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) September 15, 2025

Franklin caught four passes behind the line of scrimmage and another three passes within 10 yards of the line. Three of his nine targets were in the middle of the field.

The fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft struggled to make a large impact in his rookie year outside of a couple big plays. His hands were not consistent and he didn’t get enough opportunities to make a name for himself. With the departure of Devaughn Vele via trade before the offseason, Franklin now has the platform he needs to find the connection he shared with Nix at Oregon and establish himself as the No. 2 option in the receiver room.

Sutton was shut down on Sunday, so Payton and the Broncos had to look elsewhere for production, and Franklin got the nod over the other receivers. His nine target game followed a six-target outing in Week 1, which tied his career high. If this increase in production is a sign of what’s to come, it’s clear that Franklin has earned a new level of trust with the coaching staff, and he has earned the right to be Denver’s No. 2 man in the room behind Sutton going forward.

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