ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For a second consecutive offseason, Tim Patrick through no fault of his own is confronting the possibility of getting dropped to No. 4 receiver.
He finished the 2019 season as the co-No. 2 receiver with DaeSean Hamilton and behind Courtland Sutton, only to watch the Broncos take receivers Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler in the first two rounds of the 2020 draft. By draft’s end, Patrick seemed headed to a No. 4 receiver competition with Hamilton.
Patrick kept the attitude, though, even saying he was glad the Broncos took Jeudy and Hamler because the team needed their speed and big-play potential. Wouldn’t you know, it worked out better than ever before. When Sutton went down almost immediately in 2020, Patrick emerged as the Broncos’ co-No. 1 receiver with Jeudy and finished with career-bests in receptions (52), yards (742) and touchdowns (6).
"If I sulk about it, the only person who is truly effected is me," Patrick said.
Now it’s 2021 and Sutton is expected to return from his ACL surgery. If he does become Courtland Sutton again, he his No. 1 receiver role will be waiting for him. Jeudy finished his rookie season with promise he is ready to become a strong No. 2 if not 1B receiver to Sutton. With the speedy Hamler developing as a slot receiver, Patrick again seems to be looking from the outside in on the top 3 receiver positions.
Only this time, he will likely come with a 5 times greater price tag.
Patrick made $750,000 last season. A restricted free agent, he is expected to get a second-round, $3.38 million tender a week from now when the league season opens. Which would present the Broncos with a conundrum in that $3.38 million is more than teams ordinarily pay for the No. 4 receiver position.
How would Patrick look at such a situation?
"The same way I always look at it," he said in an interview Friday with 9NEWS. "I’ve been in this situation the past two years. I usually just do what’s best for the team and I just work hard. I know sooner or later I’m going to get my chance and make sure I’m ready when my number is called. That’s all I can do right now. They have full control of my career right now. I’m just going to let the cards play."
Don’t expect the Broncos to trade away Patrick or risk losing him to opposing offer sheets by giving him a lower original-round tender as an RFA. To the Broncos’ upstairs’ decision makers, Patrick is not considered a No. 4 but arguably their most reliable returning receiver. Sutton’s recovery from ACL surgery is uncertain until he plays a few games. Jeudy had too many drops last year and Hamler must prove he can consistently stay healthy.
Patrick had zero drops in 79 targets last year, or 12 less than Jeudy. An NFL scouting report may rate Patrick as a No. 2-type receiver. He believes that’s still selling himself short.
"I see myself as a No. 1 to be honest," he said. "When you really look at the nitty gritty of what I do, I don’t get many chances, but I make the most out of every chance I get. I have the least amount of targets among receivers who have the same amount of yards as me. Just imagine if I would have got 30 more targets I could have easily been a 1,000-yard receiver this year.
"There’s so many different things you’ve got to look at. In my opinion I was never truly given a true test of being a No. 1. People say I was a No. 1 this year just because I didn’t have any drops. But if you really look at it, my plays came from me winning my 1-on-1s. It wasn’t where we had plays drawn up for me going into the game that were going to work. It was kind of me making stuff happen on my own."
Don’t misunderstand. Patrick doesn’t want to become the Broncos’ No. 1 receiver at Sutton’s expense again this year. He wants Sutton to return to 2019 form, when he had more than 70 catches and 1,100 yards. Sutton, Jeudy, Hamler, Patrick, plus tight ends Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam could give the Broncos one of the most dynamic young pass-catching groups in the NFL.
"It will be fun to get on the field all together because there’s no telling what we can do,” Patrick said. “I think this year if we stay together we can probably be the best receiver core from top to bottom. People aren’t understanding that right now but sooner or later they will."
They might if they get consistent play from their pass distributor. That means either incumbent starter Drew Lock improves or the Broncos get someone else. The team did try to acquire veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford but fell short. They may also try to make a pitch for Deshaun Watson if Houston should make their star QB available. If not, the Broncos are expected to bring in competition from a group of available starting-experienced quarterbacks that includes like Teddy Bridgewater, Jacoby Brissett, Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton or Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Patrick was asked what Lock thinks of all these QB reports.
"I’m not (gutsy) enough like you to ask him that question," Patrick said with a laughs. "I kind of let it like nothing’s going on."
Patrick said he took a little more time off than usual this offseason because his first full season as a starter “took its toll.” But he returned to the gym a couple weeks ago and couldn’t help but notice Lock has always been there for company.
"I love Drew," Patrick said. "Going forward I think he understands what he needs to do. And he understands it doesn’t have anything to do with his football skills. And it’s good to see. I’ve been in Denver for a couple weeks and his approach to the game has been 100 percent different than it was during the season. He’s one of the first guys in the building. One of the last guys to leave. He’s doing the small things to be a great player in this league. And understanding what you’re not good at and getting it up to where your talent is.
"I think he understands it. I think this talk about bringing in other quarterbacks has motivated him. And I think he should have a big season this year."
Patrick stats
Year …… G .… C …..… Y … Y/C … TD
2018 … 16 .… 23 ..… 315 … 13.7 … 1
2019 ….. 8 .… 16 ….. 218 … 13.6 … 0
2020 … 15 .… 51 ..… 742 … 14.5 … 6
Totals . 39 … 90 … 1,275 … 14.2 .. 7
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