Amid the Denver Broncos‘ 27-2 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers, the Mile High Faithful were treated to the sight of veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick out on the field, running routes, and catching passes. Even though it was naught but a preseason game, Patrick’s appearance was a triumph of the human spirit, after he spent the last two seasons recovering and rehabbing from grievous injuries.
Just when it seemed like Lady Luck had turned her back on Patrick, there he was out on the grass, and not just running routes, but leading the Broncos in receptions and catching rookie quarterback Bo Nix’s first touchdown pass at home. Everyone, including head coach Sean Payton, was happy for Patrick post-game.
“Players were excited in there for him,” Payton said of Patrick. “He had a big smile on his face. When you have one of those injuries, it’s quiet, it’s lonely, everything goes on, it’s difficult. When you have it for two [seasons]… You can really go back historically and then try to find players that have been out for two years and it’s tough. It’s a long time in this sport. So when he has a moment like that or when he has a practice where you see him getting back to form, it’s encouraging.”
To make Payton’s point about a two-year absence being a long time in the NFL, the Broncos themselves were ready to get off the Patrick train. The team approached him early this past offseason about a restructure. The implicit threat: restructure or release.
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Patrick accepted a one-year deal that’ll pay him $1.125 million in 2024, which is a precipitous step down from the, roughly, $10 million he was set to earn in the final year of the three-year, $30 million extension he signed in 2021. The logic being that if the Broncos could stay patient just a little while longer, he would reward their support with a return to the field.
So far, so good.
“Obviously, I’m happy,” Patrick said post-game. “I have a higher standard of myself. Just trying to be a better story. So, it’s a step in the right direction… And obviously, I want to go out during the preseason and make plays, but what’s most important is making plays when the season starts and getting wins. Not just making plays and losing but getting wins.”
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Fellow wideout Courtland Sutton was thrilled to see Patrick out there in live-bullet action, albeit with a new jersey number. As he rehabbed on injured reserve, Patrick relinquished the No. 81 last year to former Broncos receiver Tre’Quan Smith. Patrick emerged in 2024 OTAs with the No. 12 jersey.
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“Man, I was so happy for him,” Sutton said. “I could have celebrated with him the rest of the game if I could. I was just so happy to see him be able to get in the end zone. He’s been working his butt off— you guys probably know it just as well. The journey he’s been on the last couple of years and to see him get in the end zone, see the excitement—you could almost feel the juice of him.”
Even Nix, who’s only been around Patrick since May, could feel the joy in the achievement of catching a pass in an exhibition game.
“Obviously, he’s been through a lot,” Nix said of Patrick. “It’s not easy to overcome the things that he has, and then to get out there and be able to contribute like he did tonight was just really cool to see. He’s a gamer. He does a really good job when his number is called. It was good to see him in the end zone.”
Patrick threw a few props the rookie’s way, too.
“He was good. He’s been consistent these last couple of days,” Patrick said. “He’s been Bo Nix. He doesn’t try and be somebody that he’s not.”
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Patrick will turn 31 in November, so while he continues his race against Father Time, he’s still quite obviously at the top of the Broncos’ wide receiver pecking order. While we’ve yet to receive an official Broncos depth chart, it would seem that Payton views Patrick as his No. 2 receiver behind Sutton.
That says a lot about Patrick’s character and talent — going two years without seeing the field due to injury, and your head coach, whom you’ve technically never gone to war with, installs you as the WR2, which means your a starter… it’s impressive. Here’s to hoping Patrick can stay out of the injury bug’s line of sight and finally go on to give the Broncos a return on the $20M investment paid to him a couple of years ago.
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On Sunday, fans will be treated to a head-to-head contest between two rapidly emerging offensive powerhouses, both of whom are bonafide Rookie of the Year contenders. Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers found new homes with consecutive picks during last April’s NFL draft, and since then, they’ve performed exceptionally well in the pro ranks.
Nix is firmly on the radar of Raiders head coach Antonio Piece, but that’s even more true after yet another award-winning performance last week.
“He was a winner as a freshman. He was a winner as a six-year player,” Pierce noted of Nix. “All he does is win, come in the league. Won the quarterback battle there in Denver. Maybe they were keeping them tight on the leash early on, and now they’re not. He has full control that offense. You can see that Sean Payton gives him opportunities to audible and make some adjustments. He’s making throws, he’s running with his legs, he’s taking care of the football, and he’s winning. That’s all you can ask for from a rookie.”
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Nix presents a clear and present danger to the Raiders’ chances of squeezing out what would be only their third win of their massively disappointing season. Stopping the impressive rookie is proving to be another matter entirely for NFL defenses, especially one with a badly beaten-up roster like the Raiders.
“This is crazy,” Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo said via ESPN‘s Paul Gutierrez. “I’ve never seen this amount of injuries on any team I’ve been on.”
This week, Broncos head coach Sean Payton has pumped the brakes a little on the burgeoning hype exploding around Nix. That being said, you get the distinct feeling that Payton is more than comfortable unleashing Nix’s full array of talents at his disposal. Confidence is growing in Nix, and that’s been reflected in how Payton has opened up the playbook for his first-year signal-caller.
The juices are flowing, and Payton may have found an answer in dynamic second-year receiver Marvin Mims Jr. The mystical “joker” role within the Broncos offense seems to have been filled.
“I think we always gotta be saying, ‘Hey, are we doing everything we can to highlight his strengths?’ And so, yeah, I don’t know if he’s got the ‘joker’ tattoo, but he might be invited to the club,” Payton said via Andrew Mason.
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When push comes to shove, if Nix plays lights out again, an easy win might come Denver’s way, but stopping Bowers would also ensure the victory and help in the race for Rookie of the Year honors. Payton is already on high alert, but it was also tinged with a bit of football envy when he illustrated Bowers’ “joker” abilities.
“Someone had a really good vision for him and you see all the ‘Joker’ traits, means and change of direction,” Payton said of Bowers. “It can’t be a little. It’s a high-end receiving trait and he can move, he can be outside and he can run a route tree maybe different than most tight ends.”
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New York Knicks (9-7, fourth in the Eastern Conference) vs. Denver Nuggets (9-6, fifth in the Western Conference)
Denver; Monday, 9 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets host the New York Knicks in a non-conference matchup.
The Nuggets have gone 5-3 at home. Denver ranks sixth in the Western Conference with 12.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Jokic averaging 4.4.
The Knicks are 4-5 in road games. New York ranks seventh in the Eastern Conference allowing only 112.4 points while holding opponents to 47.3% shooting.
The Nuggets are shooting 47.8% from the field this season, 0.5 percentage points higher than the 47.3% the Knicks allow to opponents. The Knicks average 14.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.2 more made shots on average than the 13.1 per game the Nuggets allow.
TOP PERFORMERS: Michael Porter Jr. is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
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Jalen Brunson is averaging 25.1 points and 7.4 assists for the Knicks.
LAST 10 GAMES: Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 118.4 points, 45.5 rebounds, 31.6 assists, 8.7 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 49.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 112.7 points per game.
Knicks: 6-4, averaging 120.3 points, 42.9 rebounds, 29.9 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 50.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.5 points.
INJURIES: Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: out (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
Knicks: Precious Achiuwa: out (hamstring), Miles McBride: day to day (knee), Mitchell Robinson: out (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Could the Brooklyn Nets’ No. 1 scoring option team up with a two-time league MVP?
According to Paul Pierce, it’s possible.
On a recent episode of “Ticket & The Truth,” the former Boston Celtics star suggested a move from Brooklyn to the Denver Nuggets for Cam Thomas to provide the 2023 NBA Champions with a depth boost.
“Alright, let me put my GM hat on,” Pierce said. “I think right now, for Cam, I’d like to see him off the bench for Denver. …Because they need that spark plug off the bench.”
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He may want to take that hat off.
The Nuggets do not have an asset they’d be willing to part ways with that would entice the Nets enough to move off of a 23-year-old who’s turning in over 24 points per game. And even if Denver were to offer a king’s ransom of draft capital, as long as Nikola Jokic is healthy a Nuggets’ choice will never hold much value.
Oct 29, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets small guard Cam Thomas (24) shoots the ball against the Denver Nuggets during the second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
When reports suggested Thomas could be available in negotiations, they didn’t mean Brooklyn was looking to give him away. The return would have to warrant the transaction, and a hypothetical package consisting of Christian Braun and two first-round picks (no offense Christian) won’t be enough to entice Sean Marks.
The Nets shouldn’t look to move Thomas until a can’t-say-no deal emerges. Until then, let him continue to drop nearly 25 a night on the opposition and revisit any potential thoughts of trading the electrifying scorer at February’s deadline.
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