Broncos HC Sean Payton Weighs In on WR Pat Bryant’s Showing vs. Cardinals

In the Denver Broncos' first preseason game, third-round wide receiver Pat Bryant caught both of his targets for 21 yards. Entering preseason Game 2, there were a couple of players, including Bryant and tight end Evan Engram, whom head coach Sean Payton wanted to get more involved in the game-plan.

Bryant was targeted five times in Game 2 vs. the Arizona Cardinals, catching four passes for 70 yards to lead the team. After Tuesday's practice, Payton rated Bryant's performance vs. the Cardinals.

“I thought it was good. It was good to get him the ball. One of the goals I think having gone through [preseason] Week 1 was, ‘All right, let’s make sure we get Evan ‘X’ number of touches," Payton said. "Let’s make sure Pat gets…’ Just outlining some players, maybe that for whatever reason in the first game [didn't get as many touches]. Now, the first practice, those guys all got plenty of work, but in the first game, they didn’t have as much action. So we were able to do that in the second game.”

No Block, No Rock

Broncos fans heard that Bryant was a willing and able blocker when he was drafted out of Illinois earlier this year. In the two preseason games he's played in, that 'no block, no rock' mentality has been on display, even though in one instance, it cost running back Jaleel McLaughlin an explosive play.

Payton clearly loves that aspect of Bryant's game — his willingness to contribute in any way he can.

“He is an unselfish player. There are certain stature receivers, maybe, that are going to be further away from the ball, but we’ve always favored a bigger receiver," Payton said of Bryant. "They’re more durable. It’s not to say that we don’t have players that maybe aren’t as big, but certainly if you want to run the football, you have to be able to handle the force with those guys. You just have to."

Jul 23, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Pat Bryant (13) during Denver Broncos Training Camp. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Wide Receiver Stock Report

The scrutiny on the Broncos' wide receiver competition has been heightened this summer, and the team has several young players vying for a role with Bo Nix and the first-team offense. Bryant has played as well as any of them, perhaps with the exception of Troy Franklin, who exploded last week for two touchdowns vs. the Cardinals.

As media (including us) and fans wonder which receiver will be the Broncos' No. 2 or No. 3 behind Courtland Sutton, Payton dismissed the importance of depth chart positioning. Basically, if a wideout dresses on gameday, he's going to have a role in the game.

“I think some teams are more predictable with where the ‘X’ is, and the slot and the ‘Z’. Then the term, the No. 1, the No. 2, I get all that. They’re all going to play in different roles," Payton said. "We probably are a little bit different with our rotation substitution patterns [so] that you guys can decide who two is, and three is and four is. There’s going to be a role if they’re dressing, and they’re getting on the field. They’re not going to line up in the same spot all the time."

The Broncos rested Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., and Devaughn Vele, along with the majority of starters, in the Cardinals game. That implies that the team views that trio as the 'starters,' but the depth chart supremacy hasn't been decided yet, and guys will get one more preseason game to make their case.

The Takeaway

However it shakes out, though, Bryant clearly has earned a role within the offense. Payton has compared Bryant to former New Orleans Saints Pro Bowler Michael Thomas, who was also known as the 'Slant God.'

Preseason Game 2 gave us a glimpse of exactly what Payton was talking about. Bryant's level of production and his versatility as a receiver and a blocker, will make it very difficult for the Broncos to keep him off the field on gameday.