Denver Broncos’ Troy Franklin Switches Back to Oregon Ducks Jersey Number

Former Oregon Ducks wide receiver Troy Franklin is bringing some college nostalgia to his second season in the NFL with the Denver Broncos.

Franklin announced on social media Thursday that he’s changing jersey numbers, going from No. 16 to the No. 11 he wore when he was with the Ducks. The Broncos selected him in fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, pairing him with fellow rookie and Oregon teammate, quarterback Bo Nix.

As a rookie, Nix led the Broncos to their first playoff appearance since winning the Super Bowl in 2015.

Franklin fought through some early-season struggles but ended up carving out a role depth role in the receiving room. He even caught a touchdown pass in Denver’s AFC Wild Card loss to the Buffalo Bills, which allowed him to finish 2024 with 30 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns (including postseason).

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During his last season at Oregon, Franklin was the No. 1 receiver for Nix, who ended up being  Heisman finalist, in an elite Ducks passing offense. After finishing with a combined 1,100 receiving yards during his first two seasons, Franklin burst onto the scene in 2023, totaling 81 catches for a team-high 1,383 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He had eight 100-yard receiving games across 13 contests.

However, that chemsity with Nix didn’t translate easily during their rookie season together. Nix said in November he felt that he and Franklin were “overthinking it.”

“I think with me and him right now, it’s just a level of overthinking it a little bit I think,” Nix said in November. “The pressure and the ambition of, ‘We’ve already done it. We have to do it again. It should be easy for us.’ That’s not the case. … I’m also not going to make excuses. We have to hit them when they’re open. We practice well. We do a good job of making sure we get the reps in practice, and I think it’s only a matter of time before the explosives and the big ones are being hit again.”

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning had some strong words in support of Franklin after the receiver faced some criticisms following his selection in the NFL Draft.

“I heard so many things about the guy doesn’t love football,’’ Lanning said to the Denver Gazette. “I mean, the guy practices his tail off like football was what he was made for. That’s what he does. He’s an extremely intelligent player who is very smart and works hard to be really good. … The Broncos got a steal there. That’s a great pick for them. He’s going to run his routes hard every single rep regardless of whether the ball is thrown to him or away from him. He’s going to block. He’s got all the traits you want on the football field. He’s a great teammate.”

Franklin will now head into his second season looking to build on what he did in 2024. The Broncos will be expected to make a run back to the playoffs.