The Denver Broncos are adding a playmaking wide receiver to their roster ahead of the NFL Draft. What type of impact should Broncos fans expect?
Denver Broncos add former Lions WR Josh Reynolds
Not only will the Broncos offense have Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Marvin Mims, but they’ll now add former Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds to the mix.
The former Lions WR is signing a two-year deal with Denver worth up to $14M, as first reported by NFL Network Insider Mike Garofolo.
Reynolds is a 6’3, 195lb receiving threat who is capable of being an impactful target on third down situations or in the instances Denver’s offense needs an explosive play.
In 2023, Reynolds hauled in 40 catches from Jared Goff and the Lions high-octane offense. Of his 40 catches, 32 of them moved the chains for a first down.
He finished the season with 608 yards receiving and five touchdowns. Not only was he impactful when targeted, but Goff had a 113.3 passer rating when targeting Reynolds.
Detroit’s offensive design opened up many opportunities for him to have a career year, especially with Amon-Ra St. Brown being the featured weapon for them.
The Broncos saw a little bit of what Reynolds could do firsthand this past season when Detroit blew them out, where he hauled in two catches for 41 yards.
This is a good move for Denver and their offensive personnel as Sean Payton looks to add more competition to the position room. With Sutton and Patrick having one year remaining on their current contracts, Reynolds’ addition allows them to have a little bit of wiggle room beyond 2024.
There is a chance that Sutton or Patrick could receive an extension at some point, but Reynolds gives them an additional year of potential value at the wide receiver position.
As it currently stands, the Broncos room has a wide variety of players as the team’s 90-man roster begins to formulate. Sutton, Patrick, Mims, Reynolds, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Jalen Virgil, Phillip Dorsett, Michael Bandy, Brandon Johnson, and David Sills headline the list of players at the position under Keary Colbert.
Payton alluded to the possibility of adding competition at the receiver position earlier this week at the NFL Annual Meeting.
“As coaches, you want to see that for your players,” Payton said in response to Marvin Mims stepping up into a more featured role. “[WR] Marvin [Mims Jr.] will certainly be a candidate to play more snaps because of that, and there’ll be some competition, I’m sure.”
Competition is a good thing to have as the Broncos offense looks to take a step forward this upcoming season after last year’s disappointment.
Now, the biggest question here is who will be the quarterback throwing him passes this season? We’ll have to wait and see.
