Broncos massive roster mistake continues to look worse by the week

The Denver Broncos' decision to dive head-first into a youth movement in the 2024 season is commendable and obviously smart. The team has so much dead cap from the Russell Wilson fiasco that getting young players opportunities and letting them thrive had to be a priority this season. But there were a select few veterans whose status on the team should have never been in doubt, and that includes a healthy Tim Patrick.

And at the end of the 2024 preseason, Patrick was healthy and making plays for the Broncos. But the team shockingly decided to cut him anyway.

Although Patrick has just 12 receptions for 177 yards as a member of the Detroit Lions this year, his presence for the Denver Broncos is being sorely missed this year. Over and over again, it's the one complaint I hear most from Broncos Country on a weekly basis, and it's the most valid complaint they have.

Broncos HC Sean Payton made a mistake cutting Tim Patrick

We are nine games into the 2024 season at this point, and wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey has been one of the most targeted players on the Denver Broncos' entire roster. As a matter of fact, behind only Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams, Humphrey has been targeted 32 times, third-most on the Broncos in 2024.

This is not out of pure happenstance, but intention on the part of head coach Sean Payton, who has deliberately designed plays to go to Humphrey. There's no doubt that Humphrey is one of Sean Payton's guys, but the results this season have been a mixed bag and weighted heavier on the side of "rough" when the ball is going Humphrey's way.

He has a number of bad drops this season including one that resulted in an interception on Sunday against the Ravens. He had a fumble against the Carolina Panthers and dropped a touchdown pass. He had a drop back in Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks and could have probably had another touchdown against both the Saints and Ravens if he'd made better plays on the football.

Bo Nix has a quarterback rating of 68.2 when throwing to Lil'Jordan Humphrey this season, which is not good for those scoring at home. Humphrey had two more first downs (9) last season with only 19 targets and 13 receptions than he has this year (7) on nearly twice as many targets.

The reason we have to talk about the rough patch Lil'Jordan Humphrey is going through right now is because it feels like he is the reason that the Broncos opted to cut Tim Patrick. You could argue that it is Devaughn Vele taking Tim Patrick's snaps or even Josh Reynolds when he's healthy and able to play, but the reality is that Humphrey is the 3rd-most targeted player on the team and Tim Patrick was supposed to be in line to be one of the Broncos' top three receivers all offseason.

The gripes from Broncos Country have frankly grown old but they are still valid as we continue to see the receiver position struggle. It's not like Tim Patrick would have been a 1,000-yard receiver, but he was already on the books for a lot of money this season and having him out there would have undeniably helped Bo Nix in areas where his receivers have let him down tremendously.

At this point, it's less about what Tim Patrick has done for Detroit and more about what he could have done for Denver. There is no good reason, up to this point in time, why the Broncos would have prioritized Humphrey over Patrick on their 53-man roster. Patrick should be starting and playing a key role for Bo Nix as a chain mover, drive extender, and someone who could actually finish some of these plays in the red zone where Bo is giving his receivers a chance.

Even if the plan was to give Patrick the boot in 2025, which is reasonable and fine, the plan should have stayed with him being in Denver for 2024. The decision to cut him has haunted the Broncos in so many ways.