This Broncos Sleeper is Poised to Replace Injured WR Tim Patrick
The Denver Broncos had high hopes for Tim Patrick as he returned from a torn ACL that cost him all of the 2022 season. It's unfortunate that Patrick suffered an Achilles injury that'll erase his 2023 campaign, too.
Now it's on the Broncos coaches and players to figure out who will replace Patrick. Fortunately, the Broncos have an abundance of wide receivers, which made projecting the depth chart a bit tricky.
With Patrick out and even waiving KJ Hamler being waived/injured with a heart condition, the room clears up slightly. Although the expectation is Denver will bring Hamler back when he gets his pericarditis malady taken care of, that could be a month away.
Let's examine who seems to be taking the bull by the horns when it comes to capitalizing on the two top wideouts being suddenly out of the picture.
Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton remain the Broncos' top two receivers. Marvin Mims, Jr. will have some role in the offense. After that, three spots are essentially up for grabs.
Since the Patrick injury, the second-year Brandon Johnson has gotten the most run to replace him. However, Kendall Hinton has also impressed the coaching staff in camp.
There was a lot of pressure on Marquez Callaway, as he was expected to be the fourth or fifth receiver, but head coach Sean Payton recently called him out as needing to see more from him. Six other receivers are also pushing for a spot: Michael Bandey, Jalen Virgil, Nick Williams, Lil'Jordan Humphrey, Taylor Grimes, and Montrell Washington.
Virgil hasn't shown much so far in camp, which isn't good news. He has the speed to be a deep threat, but he has to show growth as a receiver. Bandey was a recent signing, and Williams has been on and off the roster over the past few weeks.
Humphrey, like Callaway, spent time with Payton and the New Orleans Saints, but the head coach called him too. Payton made it clear that Callaway and Humphrey will not make the roster just because they played under him before.
Grimes has gotten some praise from teammates, including Jeudy, who called him “real smooth" and that he's "got a bright future.” In practice, Grimes has consistently looked good with his routes and has shown the ability to get good separation, though he has been working against the depth corners.
Washington seems to be losing the returner job, as he has consistently showcased issues fielding punts. However, he has made some plays as a receiver in practice, and to start camp, those plays were daily. Since then, he has fallen off some.
Bottom Line
Replacing someone like Patrick isn't easy, and unless someone takes a significant step forward, it'll be practically impossible. You don't replace a player like that with only one player.
Johnson is poised to take most of the responsibility, but Callaway and Hinton will also have a say in replacing Patrick's production. That is, of course, if those are the final three receivers to make the roster.
The other receivers are behind by a decent-sized gap. With three preseason games still left to be played, there's plenty of time for them to work their way into the conversation.
Will Johnson step up enough? Will Callaway start showing more? Will one of the other receivers step up and join the conversation? With the first preseason game coming up on August 11, that will provide more clarity on the subject.
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