DENVER, Colo. — On paper, the Denver Broncos offense could be one of the more explosive units in the entire NFL, especially if wide receiver Troy Franklin makes a leap in his second season.
"[I think we can be] a really high-powered offense," Franklin told Scripps News Denver's Nick Rothschild in an exclusive interview on Wednesday. "Something where all eleven [of us] know our identity and we're just playing at a high level."
Franklin seems poised to be a pivotal part of this passing attack. He's been tremendously good at training camp and is earning targets at a high rate from quarterback Bo Nix. He attributes this sophomore jump to an offseason of improvement and the opportunity to prove it.
"During the offseason, I worked on my game a lot, and it was just about letting that work show when I got that opportunity on the field," Franklin said.
Part of what made Franklin such an intriguing prospect when the Broncos traded up in the fourth round to draft him in 2024 was his relationship with the quarterback they selected earlier in round one — Nix.
He and Franklin prospered together at Oregon for two years prior to entering the NFL Draft.
Things didn't exactly click during their first year in the league — Franklin caught just 28 passes for less than 300 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season.
As Franklin's strong camp now puts him on the threshold of a breakout campaign, he said the biggest change he's seen in his quarterback since the Duck days is Nix's attitude.
"[His] confidence on the field [is the biggest difference]," Franklin said. "It's just a consistency thing, you see him doing it every day and bringing the guys all together."
On the Broncos' initial depth chart, Franklin was listed as a second-team wideout behind Marvin Mims Jr; however, RJ Harvey was the fifth running back on that same list, and then the rookie back started their preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers.
So don't put too much faith in that ranking.
The fantasy football community is keeping a close eye on this Broncos offense — they believe that with Nix at the helm, this unit could be a sleeping giant to buy stock early before their value blows up.
Franklin's also drawing some interest from these fantasy GMs as a "sleeper" candidate, but the wide receiver himself doesn't have much use for the widely popular pastime.
"I don't really care so much about fantasy [football]," Franklin said.
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