Patrick ready to step up his game in wake of Sutton’s injury
Tim Patrick believes in who he is, even if those on the outside don’t.
It’s been that way since Patrick had to go to junior college before earning a Division I opportunity at Utah. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017, and was cut by the Ravens and 49ers before landing on Denver’s practice squad and debuting in 2018.
And right now, Patrick believes he can step up and be the tall, vertical threat the Broncos need with top wideout Courtland Sutton out for the season with an ACL tear and quarterback Drew Lock ( shoulder) sidelined for multiple weeks as well.
“One of things I always tell myself is ‘ exceed expectations,’ because everybody has expectations for you,” Patrick said. “It’s your job to exceed them so you can keep going up the ladder. That’s something I’ve tried every single year, and it’s working so far. I’ve been on this team for almost three years now, and I just want to get better and better. My expectations are 100 percent higher than what anybody has on me.”
Patrick, 26, played in 16 games, with four starts, as a rookie in 2018, recording 23 catches for 315 yards and a touchdown. His role was set to increase substantially last year, but he broke his hand in a Week 1 loss to Oakland and was on injured reserve until Week 10. He finished with 16 catches for 218 yards in eight games ( two starts).
With Sutton out, Patrick will see more targets alongside rookies Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and Tyrie Cleveland. Additionally,
third- year pro DaeSean Hamilton and second- year pro Diontae Spencer, a former CFL star who is the Broncos’ punt returner, will also need to elevate. The depth in the receivers’ room has Patrick still feeling confident about the unit’s potential, even minus its injured Pro Bowler.
“When we drafted those ( three) guys, we felt like we had one of the most talented receiving corps from top to bottom in the league,” Patrick said. “With Courtland going down, it truly is that next- man- up mentality… We talked about it all camp that we have one of the best receiver corps. We’re prepared for this.”
Patrick has six catches for 53 yards through two games, with a long of 15 yards. For the Broncos’ air attack to find its rhythm under backup Jeff Driskel — or perhaps the newlysigned Blake Bortles while Lock is out — Patrick’s production will likely need to increase as well.
It’s an onus the 6- foot- 4 wideout is ready for after spending his offseason training with Sutton and Hamilton in Miami and Atlanta, where Patrick sought to bring more refinement to his game.
“My focus going into this offseason was my get- offs, and being more technical in my routes,” Patrick said. “I got so used to just being the tall receiver out there, so I didn’t really try to get open as much ( as I should have) because I knew I could use my size and my body to get open, and jump over ( defenders) to catch the ball.
“I wanted to be more technical this year where I don’t always have to rely on my size, but instead I can rely on my feet too, to create separation with a good route.”