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Whatever happened between the Denver Broncos and veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick, by the time head coach Sean Payton needed to cut his roster down to 53 players on August 27 his patience with Patrick had run out.
After Patrick was released by the Broncos after 7 seasons and 2 devastating injuries, the Detroit Lions picked him up the next day and he’s been on their active roster all season.
In Week 14, when the Lions needed him most, Patrick stole the spotlight with 2 touchdowns in a Thursday Night Football win over the Green Bay Packers that clinched a playoff spot for Detroit. It was the first time Patrick scored a touchdown in 1,082 days — since 2021 — and the win pushed the Lions to 12-1 after their 11th consecutive victory.
“The journey was long, but it was worth it, and it made me the man I am today, and it brought me here to Detroit,” Patrick told NFL.com after the win. “I’ve won the most games I’ve ever won in my career, just had a two-touchdown performance on Thursday Night Football, I’ve got like 30 reporters in front of me right now, I’m just very blessed and thankful for this team.”
Patrick has been steady for the Lions all season, with 27 receptions for 349 yards.
The Broncos are in the thick of their own playoff hunt at 8-5 and in desperate need of a second wide receiver option after Courtland Sutton.
Patrick Missed All of 2022 and 2023 With Injuries
Patrick’s release came as somewhat of a surprise as he was listed as one of three starting wide receivers for the Broncos when he was cut loose — and finally healthy after sitting out all of 2022 with an ACL tear and all of 2023 with an Achilles tendon tear.
After going undrafted out of Utah in 2017, Patrick made the Broncos’ 53-man roster in 2018 and played in all 16 games with 23 receptions for 315 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. He only played in 8 games in 2019 after breaking his hand early in the season, but bounced back with consecutive seasons of at least 700 receiving yards and at least 5 touchdowns in 2020 and 2021.
The Broncos signed Patrick to a 3-year, $34.5 million contract extension in November 2021. Patrick was playing on a 1-year, $1.295 million restructured deal when he was cut.
“With significant depth and talent at WR, Broncos are moving on from popular veteran Tim Patrick, per source,” Mike Klis of Denver’s 9NEWS, wrote one day before Patrick was released. “Broncos are currently exploring trade possibilities for Patrick, who is generating strong interest on market in advance of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline.”
Broncos Haven’t Filled Void Behind Sutton at WR
Denver rookie wide receiver Devaughn Vele looks similar to Patrick — both players are 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds — and his production has been similar to Patrick’s with 33 receptions for 377 yards and 1 touchdown.
While the Broncos and Payton hope Vele develops into a viable WR2 option in the near future, so far in 2024 one player has taken on the bulk of high-impact targets and that’s been Sutton.
Sutton, who is on pace for career highs in receptions and receiving yards, has 63 receptions for 843 yards and 5 touchdowns through 13 games and seems on track to become the first Bronco to have either 1,000 yards rushing or receiving since he and former running back Phillip Lindsay both did it in 2019.
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