The story of Broncos Camp this summer has been the emergence of second-year wide receiver Pat Bryant. We saw the beginnings of this breakout last season, but it carried over into the offseason and now into camp and the preseason. He stayed healthy and was making plays throughout camp, catching everything thrown his way, and earning constant praise from the media, his teammates, and the Broncos coaching staff.
That continued today when, after Monday’s practice, Sean Payton was asked about Bryant making a second-year jump this season.
Payton gave Bryant some big-time praise after today’s practice. He told reporters that Bryant has strong hands and once again praised his footwork and ability to not leave his feet to make a catch. He added that Bryant is smart, sudden, big, super intelligent, and that it all has been consistent throughout the summer and that he is having a “heck of a camp”.
“His consistency; he has really strong hands. I’ve said this before, if you watch tape and you’re looking at it, rarely does he have to leave his feet to make a clean catch. Even if you just skip to catch it, at that moment, everyone’s moving and you’re kind of frozen, and rarely does he do that. So his yards-after-catch are noticeably different because his feet are on the ground as he runs through a ball. He’s smart, he’s sudden, he’s big. He’s having a heck of a camp. You guys have seen it, and it’s been consistent. He’s super intelligent. It’s really important to him, and I like his size.”
Like Bryant’s play this summer, the praise about him has also been consistent. He entered the summer and training camp competing for the WR3 job behind star wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and veteran Courtland Sutton and will leave camp firmly as the Broncos WR3.
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He gives the Broncos and quarterback Bo Nix another big and physical target who can make plays all over the field. He has great hands; he is big, runs good routes, can play inside or outside, can block, and has sneaky run-after-the-catch potential. While he may not have a flashy 40-time, Payton has noted multiple times now that his feet stay on the ground and he runs through the ball. We saw this a few times in his rookie year, and I believe we will see it more this upcoming season.
With Jaylen Waddle and his speed and veteran Courtland Sutton getting the majority of attention from opposing defenses, Bryant has the potential to fly under the radar a bit and be a playmaker for the Broncos this season.
I think the hype is real. Bryant looks like the real deal, and I believe he will have a breakout year for the Broncos this upcoming season. I think the addition of Waddle and the breakout of Bryant will help this Broncos offense take that next step this upcoming season.
