While Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has continually praised his current group of wide receivers, his actions in the NFL draft show someone very much interested in churning and burning at the position.
In his first 3 drafts as Denver’s head coach since he was hired in January 2023, Payton has selected 4 wide receivers and at least one in each draft, including University of Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant in the third round (No. 74 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.
While Payton may have already found a few gems through the draft — DeVaughn Vele, Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin have all flashed potential — it’s a wide receiver who spent part of 2024 on Denver’s practice squad who could add some intrigue to the mix in 2025.
The Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel called former New Orleans Saints sixth round pick A.T. Perry the “Wild Card” at wide receiver this season, where the Broncos are likely to keep 5 or 6 players at the position on the 53-man roster.
The Broncos picked Perry up off the waiver wire after he was released by the Saints in October 2024 — less than 2 years after the team drafted him in 2023.
“It’s far too early to start projecting whether the Broncos keep five receivers, six or some other number,” Gabriel wrote on May 23. “Health and production will help determine all that through training camp. On the surface, though, Denver does appear to have a tough room to crack. Perry is a promising young player who didn’t get a look on Sundays last year, but has ability.”
A.T. Perry first NFL touchdown 🔥⚜️
Frustrations Boiled Over for Perry With Saints
Perry, 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, was a 2-time All-ACC pick at Wake Forest with 152 receptions for 2,389 yards and 26 touchdowns over his last 2 seasons. He had 12 receptions for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns in 10 games as a rookie for the Saints in 2023.
Counted on to be part of the Saints’ wide receiver rotation in 2024, head coach Dennis Allen expressed his frustration with Perry before his release … which happened just one month before the Saints fired Allen.
“Entering 2024, it was thought that he’d likely be the third receiver behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed,” Sports Illustrated’s Bob Rose wrote following Perry’s release. “A.T. Perry led the NFL in receiving during the preseason. However, his practice performances were described as inconsistent. He also popped up on the injury report heading into the season opener. It was a harbinger of things to come. Perry missed the first three games with a hand injury. He’d then miss last week’s loss to Atlanta with a hamstring injury before his release on Friday.”
Broncos Have Uncertainty Past WR1 Spot
The Broncos have a clear cut WR1 option with veteran Courtland Sutton, who is coming off the second 1,000 yard season of his career. After that, pretty much everything is up for grabs.
One reason that might make that lack of certainty a little more palatable for the Broncos in 2025 is the addition of tight end Evan Engram, a 2-time Pro Bowler who signed a 2-year, $23 million contract with Denver after he was a salary cap casualty by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
