Despite the Broncos drafting wide receivers with their first- and second-round picks in 2020, they gave former UDFA Tim Patrick a second-round RFA tender in March. Patrick signed that tender Tuesday.
Patrick will make $3.384MM on this tender, barring an extension. He is expected to be a key option — be it as a starter or the top wideout off the bench — for Drew Lock and/or Teddy Bridgewater this season.
A Utah alum, Patrick became Lock’s most reliable target in 2020. The Broncos lost Courtland Sutton for the season in Week 2, and K.J. Hamler battled injuries during his rookie campaign. The 6-foot-4 Patrick more than doubled his previous career-high marks for receptions and yardage, hauling in 51 passes for 742 yards. His six touchdown grabs doubled the next-closest Bronco.
Both Patrick and Sutton are entering contract years, with the latter doing so after an ACL tear. Sutton would profile as an extension candidate for a Broncos team that has been the main suitor connected to Aaron Rodgers thus far. One of Denver’s receivers may factor into such a trade, should this saga reach the negotiation stage, and Patrick could play a part there. It would be unlikely the Broncos part with 2020 first-rounder Jerry Jeudy, who can be kept on his rookie contract through 2024.
Denver just waived DaeSean Hamilton, after the supporting-caster suffered an ACL tear last week. Barring any Rodgers offer that includes a receiver, the Broncos are set to go with a Sutton-Jeudy-Hamler-Patrick quartet in 2021. Patrick is due for unrestricted free agency next year.
Patrick was the main beneficiary of the Sutton injury, as he went from a bench warmer who occasionally flashed NFL ability to someone who showed he should be a starter on an NFL roster (although he is not a #1 receiver). He clearly out-shined the big name Alabama draftees (Hamler and Jeudy), which sort of says more about them than it does about him.
Hamler was from Penn St, not Alabama
And those two guys were rookies, while Patrick was in his third season. In fact the previous year he started to show a lot of promise, too. I think it says more about him and his progress than it does about two rookies, one battling injuries, both still learning, with 3 different QBs playing last year.
Everybody praised Jeudy for his footwork, route running and separation ability. While the footwork and route running have obviously transitioned well to the NFL, the separation Jeudy showed in college has been exposed a little when he has to go up against top CBs in the league. I don’t think Jeudy is a true #1 receiver and if Sutton can come back from his ACL injury close to full ability, Sutton as the top receiver, Jeudy as the second and Hamler as the slot man with Fant at TE, the Broncos should have a very good receiving core, not even factoring in Patrick, who is a very capable starter and actually might be a better second receiver than Jeudy at least right now.