ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As Evan Engram raced for a 58-yard gain in his first action at Empower Field at Mile High, he had a little help along the way.
Just past the first-down marker, wide receiver Troy Franklin did just enough to disrupt the path of Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and allow Engram to continue down the right sideline.
Further down the field, rookie Pat Bryant cleared cornerback Denzel Burke out of the area to give Engram space to tack on another 20 yards.
Franklin's initial block helped turn a 10-yard gain into a significant one — and Bryant's enhanced it into a drive-altering play. As the Broncos look to stack big plays in both the run game and passing game, that play was indicative of the contributions the Broncos are seeking.
"We talk about it in the run game, but it also occurs [with the] run after the catch," Head Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. "When you find a long run in the NFL, you probably find receivers doing a good job on the perimeter. It's not easy. You get a good run after the catch, [it's] the same way. You've got to be smart with your angles and with the rules.
"That was a big play, just in that series, of really flipping field position, if you will. We started at our own 3[-yard line] and within the matter of a play, we're literally on the other side of the field."
Bryant has previously spoken about his desire to contribute in the run game, and Payton on Tuesday described the rookie as an "unselfish player." Receivers like Bryant are critical to the Broncos' attempts to improve their rushing game in 2025.
"I think in this league, look, there's going to be certain statured receivers that are going to be further away from the ball," Payton said. "We've always favored a bigger receiver. They're more durable. That's not to say that we don't have players who maybe aren't as big, but certainly if you want to run the football, you've got to be able to handle the force with those guys. You just have to. Now, you can run RPOs [run-pass options] and there's other things you can do, but when you're going to run it and they know you're going to run it, you've got to be able to block the force properly."
Tight end Adam Trautman, who is a consistent contributor in the blocking game as an in-line tight end, said the receiving corps has honed in on that area of their game during training camp. And while every run starts up front, the efforts on the perimeter end up being just as critical.
"It turns the 4-yard runs into 8-yard runs, into 12-yard runs," Trautman said. "Now, you have a receiver on the body that's tackling whoever the running back is, and now he can run through that tackle. … It's also just a mentality thing. … San Francisco, they always have that. They always have guys who are putting their face in there and getting safeties. … They block hard as [heck], no matter who it is. The Lions are the same way — and those teams run the ball really well. There's a reason."
Without the effort and execution on the outside, even a successful carry likely won't break for big yardage.
"We can game plan whatever we want, but if you don't have guys on the outside that perimeter block, your explosives are gone," Trautman said. "And then you're living with 3.7 yards per carry in a game or something like that."
The focus on the perimeter blocking is part of a larger emphasis on the run game, and Trautman pointed to the Broncos' improvement there as a key area of improvement during training camp.
"Obviously, it's been an emphasis with everything we've done, and I mean, we've been drilling the [heck] out of it," Trautman said. "Which is why we've been in pads, so that we can simulate it best we can."
While Franklin and Bryant combined eight catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns, the post-catch blocking — which isn't so different from the effort required in the run game — may have stood out just as much.
"It's definitely a huge deal, and I know it's been an emphasis for them in their [receiver] room," Trautman said. "We've seen it progress."
