Reports indicate the Broncos will release Tim Patrick if they can’t trade him. That’s a surprise to me. The way they were using him in the preseason, I was figuring he was going to be a starter for them.
Patrick has missed the last two seasons with knee and Achilles injuries. He’s also 30. But he looked just fine in those initial preseason games, catching all 5 of the passes thrown his way, including a touchdown. He was on the field for all of their first-unit offense drives. Those were all shorter catches, totaling only 44 yards, but I was wondering if he might be one of the better values in the later rounds of draft – a likely top-50 receiver for pennies on the dollar.
The Broncos listed Patrick as a first-team player all of August.
But Sean Payton apparently wants to get younger. The team has drafted Marvin Mims, Troy Franklin and Devaughn Vele the last two years. Mims was a second-round pick. Albert Breer says the Broncos had a second-round grade on Franklin. Vele lasted until the seventh round, but he caught my eye in the exhibition against the Colts, looking like a keeper.
As for Patrick, I expect he’ll get picked up by someone. The Falcons and Saints are currently slated to go with Ray-Ray McCloud and Cedrick Wilson as their third receivers. I think Patrick is better than those guys.
The Lions and Cowboys could both use another receiver. Detroit didn’t replace Josh Reynolds (who’s now in Denver); Patrick could fill some of that void as a larger, more physical target. The Cowboys have an iffy third (Jalen Tolbert) and not much beyond him.
The Dolphins don’t have much beyond Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but I don’t think Patrick is their kind of guy – not fast enough.
I expect Patrick to be with a new team before the end of the week.
| CURRENT THIRD RECEIVERS | |
|---|---|
| Team | Player |
| Arizona | Greg Dortch |
| Atlanta | • Ray-Ray McCloud |
| Baltimore | Nelson Agholor |
| Buffalo | Coleman / Hollins |
| Carolina | Jonathan Mingo |
| Chicago | Rome Odunze |
| Cincinnati | Andrei Iosivas |
| Cleveland | Elijah Moore |
| Dallas | • Jalen Tolbert |
| Denver | Mims/Franklin/Vele? |
| Detroit | • Kalif Raymond |
| Green Bay | Romeo Doubs |
| Houston | Tank Dell |
| Indianapolis | Pierce or Mitchell |
| Jacksonville | Gabe Davis |
| Kansas City | Marquise Brown |
| LA Chargers | DJ Chark |
| LA Rams | Demarcus Robinson |
| Las Vegas | Tre Tucker |
| Miami | Beckham or other |
| Minnesota | Jalen Nailor |
| New England | Thornton / Osborn |
| New Orleans | • Cedrick Wilson |
| NY Giants | Slayton / Hyatt |
| NY Jets | Xavier Gipson |
| Philadelphia | Jahan Dotson |
| Pittsburgh | Austin / Wilson |
| Seattle | Tyler Lockett |
| San Francisco | Jauan Jennings |
| Tampa Bay | Palmer / McMillan |
| Tennessee | Tyler Boyd |
| Washington | Olamide Zaccheaus |
—Ian Allan
