The Denver Broncos made a lot of difficult roster decisions in 2024, but perhaps none were more surprising than the decision to cut wide receiver Tim Patrick at the time that they did. Patrick hadn't played a regular season game since 2021 for Denver, but he had a strong offseason and caught a touchdown for Denver in the preseason. Given the youth on the team at receiver, it made a lot of sense that the Broncos would keep Patrick around, especially for rookie QB Bo Nix.
Apparently not.
The Broncos decided to cut Patrick, who had adjusted his contract earlier in the offseason to fit under the team's strapped salary cap. It was Patrick's willingness to adjust his contract that seemed to solidify his status on the roster and everyone hoped he could help the Broncos for at least one more year.
The Broncos cut him, rolling with their young receiver room instead. Patrick quickly found a home in Detroit and has played a relatively minor role for them, coming up big in moments but otherwise having pretty modest numbers...until Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers.
Tim Patrick might have Broncos regretting decision to cut him
Tim Patrick can't stop celebrating 😂 pic.twitter.com/lfva0QKf9A
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) December 6, 2024
As you can see here, I don't think anyone really needs to be feeling sorry for Tim Patrick. He's doing alright.
In a crucial divisional matchup between the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers, Patrick played his best game of the season. He caught a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Jared Goff, his first touchdowns this season and his first time hitting the end zone in a regular season game in over 1,000 days.
It had been 1,082 days and two major injuries since Tim Patrick scored a touchdown. He has two tonight. pic.twitter.com/LxNQzkORmV
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) December 6, 2024
I know a lot of people in Broncos Country like to diminish what Tim Patrick has been doing this year to try and feel better about this move, but Patrick has slowly been heating up at the most important time of the year. He's got at least 43 yards in each of the last three games and added the pair of touchdowns in a game that was decided by three points. He might be earning a more prominent role as the season rolls along.
Why is it worth continually bringing up Tim Patrick's recent production for the Lions? Well, for one thing, there have been a lot of instances this season in which gaffes by Broncos receivers have arguably cost the team victories. Especially earlier in the season, the Broncos could have used Tim Patrick when other receivers were dropping or fumbling the ball.
Lil'Jordan Humphrey, in particular, has had plenty of struggles this season for Denver even though he's also provided a spark at times. Having Tim Patrick playing his snaps might have helped the Broncos substantially.
It's also worth noting that the Broncos recently cut veteran wide receiver Josh Reynolds, a player who presumably helped make Tim Patrick expendable. The Broncos gave Reynolds over $4 million in guaranteed cash to come in and be a veteran presence on the roster, and he was cut after spending most of the last two months on IR.
Has it been great to see the development of guys like Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin, and Marvin Mims lately? Absolutely. But you can't convince me that Tim Patrick wouldn't have helped this team given what we've seen this year. It's too late to go back and fix it at this point, but knowing what they know now, I can't help but wonder how the Broncos might have done things differently.