Broncos Urged to Unlock WR Pat Bryant With Bigger Role
The Denver Broncos took a lot of flak for selecting wide receiver Pat Bryant in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. Despite that ridicule, the pick has worked out this season, for the most part, and it has actually gotten to a point where the Broncos need to find a way to get Bryant even more involved in the offense.
Entering the Week 11 game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bryant had 13 catches on 19 targets, with one drop. What makes it so clear he needs to be a bigger part of the offense is that all 13 of his catches have gone for a first down or touchdown, and that continued against the Chiefs, as the Broncos
In the first half, Bryant had three catches on four targets, and all were for a first down. In the second half, he added two more catches on six targets, including his first career reception that wasn’t for a first down or touchdown.
Expanding Bryant's Role
Now, Bryant has a role on offense: bringing blocking to the running game. He had 294 total snaps entering the Chiefs game, 110 as a run blocker, and many snaps as a blocker on screens. That ability earned him more playing time, but not a bigger role in the passing game.
With Bryant's reliability as a blocker and receiver, Sean Payton and Bo Nix need to find a way to keep him more involved in the passing game. Bryant's role has grown over the past few weeks, and it should continue to increase.
Bryant finished with a team-high five receptions for 82 yards vs. the Chiefs. His long of 48 yards helped set up a score.
It can be challenging to do as the Broncos' receivers all fill different niches, except Courtland Sutton, and you don’t want to diminish those other roles. Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin bring the explosive play potential with their speed, and you don’t want that to take a back seat.
However, Franklin has had issues with drops. He had six entering the game against the Chiefs and added two more in the first half.
Franklin also showed his value on third down, catching a pass with a great get-off that helped lead to a touchdown on the drive and again on the Broncos' game-winning field goal drive.
Demonstrated Receiving Value
Over the past few weeks, Bryant has consistently demonstrated his reliability as a receiver, giving the offense a new set of downs. Now, some of that is the sample size. It won’t always stay near 100% in first-down or touchdown rate, but it points to his strengths and reliability when plays are needed.
A lot of those catches are by route design, but Bryant has also shown a solid ability to create after the catch, though again on a limited sample size. It's hard to use him as the target on a screen because of his blocking ability, but that could be a way to catch a defense sleeping.
Bryant is big and has surprising speed and quickness, though his 40-yard dash at the Combine didn't show it, and he can take a screen and make something happen. It shouldn’t be once every game, or once every other game, but once every few games? Those calls could be enough to generate a big play for the Broncos.
Denver actually dialed this up in the second half, setting the offense ahead of the sticks as the Chiefs clearly weren't expecting Bryant to be the target. This is precisely what Denver should look at doing once every few games.
The Takeaway
Bryant has been developing into a good weapon for the Broncos' offense, and there is still plenty of room for more growth. For a pick that got as much blowback as it did, he is proving Denver was right to take him so far in his very young career.
Cowboys Eyed as a Top Team for Speedy Former $20 Million 42-Game Starter
The Dallas Cowboys revamped the team’s defense in several last-minute deals at the NFL trade deadline. Dallas could also look to veteran free agents to add even more depth to the unit. Dallas has just a 4% chance to make the NFL playoffs heading into the team’s Week 11 primetime matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, per The Athletic.
This did not stop owner Jerry Jones from making significant moves at the NFL deadline, including acquiring star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox identified the top available free agents and each player’s best landing spot. The analyst is pushing the Cowboys as well as the Baltimore Ravens to make a run at former top-10 pick Isaiah Simmons.
“Isaiah Simmons was a first-round pick in the 2020 draft, but he has struggled to find a true position in the NFL,” Knox wrote in a November 7, 2025, story titled, “Best Team Fits for Top 10 Bargain Free Agents After Trade Deadline.” “A hybrid defender at Clemson, NFL teams have tried him at both linebacker and safety but have never seen truly impressive results at either position.
“The Green Bay Packers gave Simmons a shot this offseason, but he was released in late August and failed to sign with a practice squad. … Simmons would be a logical gamble for a team that regularly uses multiple safeties in a rotation or for one that could use an athletic run defender at the second level.”
Potential Cowboys Target Isaiah Simmons Is a Former Top-10 Pick in the 2020 NFL Draft
After a standout college football career at Clemson, Simmons was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Simmons inked a four-year, $20.6 million rookie contract with the Cardinals.
The defender also had a short stint with the New York Giants. Most recently, Simmons signed with the Green Bay Packers, but the linebacker was unable to make the final roster and was released ahead of Week 1.
Simmons’ NFL career did not quite live up to the hype as teams struggled to know exactly where to play the versatile defender. The former highly touted prospect spent time at both linebacker and safety. It just so happens Dallas could use help at both positions.
Isaiah Simmons Started 42 Games With the Cardinals & Giants
During his five NFL seasons, Simmons started 42 games for the Cardinals and Giants. Simmons’ best statistical season came in 2022 when the veteran posted 99 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles and two interceptions in 17 appearances for the Cardinals, including 13 starts.
The defender notched an impressive 4.39-second time in the 40-yard dash ahead of the 2020 draft. Additionally, the 6-foot-4, 238-pound defender posted a 39″ vertical. Heading into the draft, analyst Matt Miller (now with ESPN) described Simmons as a “unicorn.”
“Simmons is a true unicorn as a prospect,” Miller wrote for Bleacher Report in April 2020. “Evaluators are stumped on who to compare him to or even what his ceiling will be.
“A smart defensive coordinator will simply look at the matchup each week and let Simmons erase the opposing offense’s biggest threat. He’s a rare game-changer at the linebacker position and should be allowed to play multiple roles and alignments within a single game. If Simmons doesn’t succeed in the NFL, it will be one of the biggest surprises of the 2020 draft class.”
