The Denver Broncos have a new weapon.
The Broncos signed wide receiver Josh Reynolds, 29, to a two-year deal worth up to $14 million. The exact terms haven’t yet been reported.
I cut up some clips from Reynolds’ game against the Broncos in Week 15 to show what he’ll bring to the table.
Let’s start with some blocking.
At 6-foot-3 and a little under 200 pounds, Reynolds isn’t built to be a perfect blocker. He’s a little narrow.
Ja’Quan McMillian beat him on this play.
(Reynolds wears No. 8. He’s the only Lions receiver with nothing on his left arm. He has two bright white bands on his right arm. Remember this as we move through this game.)
That play is an anomaly, though. For the most part, he’s a solid blocker. He’s more than willing, and his length helps him.
I didn’t have any great clips from the game against the Broncos, but Frankie Abbott of Let’s Talk Broncos put together a great cut-up.
As a skinnier receiver, Reynolds can get caught up when cornerbacks get their hands on him.
Reynolds generally doesn’t let cornerbacks get their hands on him, though. He’s shifty.
And his enormous wingspan helps him make plays like this:
He isn’t a jump-ball monster, but he’s more than capable of pulling them in. He draws a penalty on this play:
Reynolds entered the NFL as a deep threat. His size was the primary reason. His 4.52-second 40-yard dash was solid but certainly doesn’t qualify him as a burner. He was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in 2017. He had 1,450 yards and nine touchdowns over four seasons in Los Angeles. He never missed a game.
While Reynolds isn’t freaky fast, he’s crafty in space. This little shake at the top of the route doesn’t lead to much, but it shows how he can create space.
Later on, Reynolds gives the same shake to Fabian Moreau at the top of his route. But this time, he breaks inside. He comes free for a big gain.
Reynolds is at his best in the middle of the field.
In 2023, Reynolds was targeted 51 times between the numbers and 21 times outside the numbers.
The Broncos, on the other hand, attempted 231 passes inside the numbers and 230 passes outside the numbers.
Reynolds is coming to Denver to help out in the middle of the field. Watch him sit between the linebackers in Cover 3 here:
He doesn’t get the ball, but it shows you what he’s all about.
Reynolds played about one-third of his snaps from the slot last season and a similar number the year before. With Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams on the roster, Detroit was crowded in the slot.
In Denver, Reynolds could be a slot option, or he could play on the boundary.
He looked a little slow in the clip above, so here he is, ripping across the field on a drag. (The defensive lineman dropping ruins the play. Good call, Vance Joseph.)
Reynolds has solid hands. He dropped a pair of balls in the NFC Championship gam—one of them was a back-breaker—but he only dropped three all season up to that point. Catching the ball through contact isn’t an issue.
Reynolds is capable of holding down a starter’s workload. He ran 580 routes for the Lions last season, which is more than any Broncos receiver in a single season since 2015 when Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders hit that mark.
Reynolds finished the year with 608 receiving yards and five touchdowns. His career high is 618 yards. Those aren’t massive numbers.
Reynolds and Tim Patrick are probably competing for a starting job. Marvin Mims plays a different role, but maybe he could wind up as the fourth receiver with both Reynolds and Patrick in front of him.
