The Denver Broncos had quite the 2025 NFL campaign, cruising to a 14-3 record to claim the AFC’s No. 1 overall seed and a first-round bye in the playoffs. With the Buffalo Bills taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots dispatching the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo went to Mile High Field to take on the Broncos.
While Denver has had many positives this season, some players have started to drop due to injuries after kickoff, including second-year wide receiver Troy Franklin, who had a breakout season in 2025.
What Happened to Denver Broncos WR Troy Franklin?
The Broncos entered the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs primed and ready to show off why they were able to lock down the AFC’s top seed. While quarterback Bo Nix has looked solid against Buffalo, his wide receiver group has taken some hits.
Rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant was ruled out earlier in the game after suffering a concussion, and Franklin would go out of the game as he’s questionable after tweaking his hamstring. He was not targeted once before leaving the game.
Oh man. Broncos WR room takes another hit. Troy Franklin is now questionable to return with a hamstring injury.
Brutal.
— AROD – Anthony Rodriguez (@AnthonyRod33) January 17, 2026
The injury is disappointing as Franklin had seen a marked improvement from 2024 to 2025. During his rookie season, Franklin caught 28 of 53 targets for 263 yards and two touchdowns. He would see his target share from Nix double in 2025 as he caught 65 of 104 targets for 709 yards and six touchdowns, the second-highest totals on the team behind Courtland Sutton.
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While the unit is not quite as good as the league-leading defense, the offense still ranks in the top half of the NFL, with a 75.9 PFSN Offense Impact Metric score, ranking them 15th overall, despite a solid season from Nix under center.
As for the wide receivers, both Sutton and Franklin find themselves a bit far down on PFSN’s NFL WR Impact Metric, ranking 37th and 40th, respectively.
They have the suffocating defensive unit to lean on, but they will need to maintain the consistent offensive production they’ve shown against the Bills if head coach Sean Payton and Denver want to make a run to Super Bowl 60.
They’ve avoided a dud after the bye week and sit with a comfortable 23-10 lead after their first drive in the second half against Buffalo. So far, the losses of Bryant and Franklin haven’t had a negative effect.
