Broncos get more than just big receptions from rookie Pat Bryant

DENVER — For Broncos receiver Pat Bryant, it wasn’t just the four receptions for a team-leading 70 yards in Saturday night’s 27-7 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals.

It was the blocking.

And it took just two offensive snaps for that skill to reveal itself in the most thundering manner possible.

Evan Engram’s 58-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Jarrett Stidham set the Broncos on course for the romp and was no surprise to those who’ve watched every offensive snap of training camp to date. The two have a profound connection when paired together in practice, and once Troy Franklin deftly avoided contact that could have been considered a crackback block, Engram was in full gallop down the right flank of the field.

But the final 24 yards of Engram’s downfield dash belonged to Bryant, who drove Arizona cornerback Denzel Burke out of bounds with gusto. This was the kind of play that will not only get the 6-foot-2, 204-pound Bryant on the field, but will keep him there.

And when the subject of Bryant’s blocking arose from a reporter after the game in the Broncos locker room, he could barely contain his smile.

“I had some good blocks today. I had some pretty good blocks,” he said, beaming. “I had a good block for Ev on the sideline.

“So, that kind of fuels me. Like, it gets me going just a little bit. But I know the football gods will look out for you when you make those good blocks like that.

“And they definitely looked out for me tonight.”

Blocking, of course, is about more than yourself. But it’s also where you can exert your will on a foe.

“Just the physicality, man. Just sacrificing my body and putting it all on the line, just being that guy,” Bryant said.

BRONCOS HAVE A RECEIVER WHOSE TOUGHNESS TRANSLATES EVERYWHERE

The physicality with which Bryant blocks also comes into play in his pass-catching, in which he displays more than just a willingness to go across the middle — it’s an eagerness.

And as he pointed out after the game, quarterbacks will like that.

“I become friendly, like, I don’t drift away from the ball,” Bryant said. “I always come back, I attack the ball so they can throw anywhere, like anywhere in the middle of the field.

“Just based off how I run my route, I’m gonna be able to catch the ball.”

And with more catches comes more confidence … and more confidence can create bigger plays, and so on.

“I mean, I’ve always been confident, Just coming into the league, man, just getting that feel for it, man, I feel like I’m starting to get back in my groove,” he said. “Game starting to slow down just a little bit.

“But it’s only preseason. I got a long, long season ahead, so I’m looking forward to it.”

And in that long season, Bryant appears to have earned the opportunity to make an impact for the Broncos — whether it’s with those hands catching passes or driving a cornerback to the ground.

“Just like with any young guy there is learning curve, but the more he’s playing and the more confidence he’s gaining is huge,” Stidham said. “He made some really great plays tonight.”

And more are surely to come, to the benefit of Bryant and the Broncos.

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