Sean Payton on Broncos receiver Troy Franklin making Year 2 leap: ‘It’s happening’

Two words did the job just fine, because nobody needed any kind of soliloquy to understand the things Troy Franklin was doing Saturday night.

“It’s happening,” Sean Payton nodded to reporters.

The Broncos head coach saw this coming this offseason before the rest of the world physically could. He saw it a year and a half ago, when he traded away a few late-round picks to invest in Franklin penny stock. He saw a 6-foot-3 springboard trainer Drew Lieberman recently described as a “raw ball of clay,” who had been Bo Nix’s favorite target at Oregon without knowing the full intricacies of playing receiver.

After a disappointing rookie year, Franklin molded himself this offseason. He sought out Lieberman after winding up at one of his workouts in Atlanta. For two two-week stretches in May and the summer, they honed the simple details of attacking the football.

On Saturday, watching Franklin torch the Cardinals for two first-half touchdowns on television, Lieberman saw him attack.

“Once some of those, like, base-level things are in place, then a guy can feel that confidence,” Lieberman told The Denver Post on Saturday night.

“We’re just seeing a kid that looks like he’s playing pretty free.”

Payton first pulled the horn during OTAs in May, when he pivoted a question on fellow receiver Marvin Mims Jr. toward saying Franklin would have a similar Year 2 jump. The Franklin hype train has since run on consistent training-camp fuel, and chugged at never-before-seen speeds Saturday night.

Late in the first quarter, he left an Arizona defensive back in the dust on a simple out-and-up and pulled in a wide-open 27-yard grab in the end zone. Late in the second quarter, with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham marching the Broncos down the field on a two-minute drill, Franklin burst for the pylon on a fade. Stidham cocked back for the kind of one-on-one throw that takes trust. Franklin reached back for the kind of one-on-one grab that takes confidence. He attacked. He crashed down with another touchdown.

He has been one of Stidham’s favorite targets throughout camp, the two making magic on second-team reps. Franklin, though, is quickly advancing beyond any second-team designation after finishing with five catches for 67 yards on Saturday.

“It’s hard to put into words, because he’s grown so much from last year,” Stidham said postgame. “You can tell he’s playing with so much confidence right now.

“I think he’s going to help our offense in a really good way. And I know the guys in our room, we’re really excited about that.”

The growth is showing up in every aspect of Franklin’s game a couple of weeks into the preseason. He was 5 of 20 on deep balls last year; he has been the Broncos’ most consistent deep threat throughout camp. He is establishing himself as more of a threat from the slot after playing a third of his snaps there last year. His greatest leap might be as a blocker, after an iffy showing on run-blocking reps as a rookie.

On Denver’s second play from scrimmage, Stidham rolled right and found tight end Evan Engram toward the right sideline. Arizona safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson veered toward Engram, intent on holding a well-executed play to a simple first down. Except Franklin sprinted and knocked Taylor-Demerson off course just enough to spring Engram free down the sideline, a short drag turning into a 58-yard catch-and-run.

“That play doesn’t happen,” Engram said postgame, “without that block.”

Franklin was a smooth athlete, as Lieberman said. He needed aggressiveness. His movements are naturally liquid, his legs flowing across turf. He is blending water with fire now. He is winning high-point balls and throwing his body downfield.