There was a multitude of factors that went into Russell Wilson's failure to launch in Year 1 with the Denver Broncos. The absence of starting wide receiver Tim Patrick might have been one of the mitigating elements.
Patrick went down with a torn ACL on August 2, less than a year after garnering a three-year, $34.5 million contract extension with the Broncos. Jerry Jeudy was inserted in Patrick's place as the starter opposite Courtland Sutton.
At the NFL Combine, GM George Paton opened up on just how big of a hit the Broncos' offense took when Patrick went down and what his outlook is moving forward.
“That was a huge loss," Paton said last week. "You could argue one of the biggest losses of the season. When he got hurt that day, the whole building was deflated. You guys know Tim, what he brings every day, a leader, really good player. He’s running now. He’s jogging. I don’t know when he’ll be back, in terms of the offseason programs, but next season, certainly, he’ll be 100 percent.”
The Broncos might not be ready to guarantee a specific date that Patrick will be back out on the grass, but considering that his ACL tear happened just a few days into training camp, fans can count on him being a factor this coming season in Sean Payton's new-look offense.
The Broncos' aerial attack certainly struggled without Patrick, and while the biggest culprits in the offense's mystifying meanderings had less to do with the pass-catchers and were more about the coaching and quarterback, his absence was felt greatly.
As the 2022 season marched ahead, Jeudy flourished, but his production explosion didn't happen until the season's final six games. Meanwhile, Sutton seemed to struggle to forge chemistry with Wilson, and despite the veteran quarterback force-feeding him the ball for much of the season, he only finished with two touchdowns on 64 receptions.
Patrick's trusty hands were certainly missed. But the Broncos will be executed to get the big possession receiver back in the lineup.
Many NFL fans can remember the prolific production Payton got out of former New Orleans Saints' Pro Bowl possession receiver Marcus Colston, and more recently, the 'Slant God' Michael Thomas. With two good possession guys in Sutton and Patrick combined with the explosive route-running prowess of Jeudy — to say nothing of the tight ends — Payton and Wilson certainly won't lack for playmakers at the receiver position.
Patrick, 29, is a former college free agent out of Utah. The former Ute arrived in Denver back in 2018, back when Case Keenum was calling the signals, and quickly made himself indispensable to the offense.
By 2019, Patrick had climbed his way into the starting lineup in the wake of the Broncos trading the late (great) Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. From 2020-21, Patrick totaled 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns in an offense dying for competent quarterback play.
Here's to hoping that all of Broncos Country gets to see what Patrick can do in an offense quarterbacked by a revitalized Wilson and schemed by one of the greatest offensive minds of his era in Payton.
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