Fangio: 'Quality' Broncos WR Tim Patrick Will 'Never be on Roster Bubble'
Tim Patrick has emerged as the Courtland Sutton-less Denver Broncos' No. 1 wide receiver, and as long as head coach Vic Fangio holds his job, the former undrafted free agent will not experience the dreaded "roster bubble."
“No, Tim's never been on the roster bubble. Tim's a quality NFL receiver who would play a lot of plays for a lot of teams. I've always liked Tim," Fangio said Thursday. "He's a big receiver, he's got good instincts, he can catch the 50-50 balls, he's a good runner after the catch. I see Tim as a quality NFL receiver. He'll never be on the bubble."
Regarded as "Sutton Lite," Patrick currently leads the Broncos with 643 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 43 catches across 12 starts — or 612 offensive snaps (71.66%). He's recorded three TDs over his last two games, and prior to that, in Week 11, he exploded for a season-high 119 yards on five grabs amid Denver's 20-13 upset of Miami.
This has been Patrick's M.O. since arriving in 2017 via the Broncos' practice squad. No matter the year, no matter the quarterback, no matter the circumstance, "Timmy Toetaps" just finds a way to produce.
The absence of Sutton, lost to a season-ending knee injury in September, has afforded Patrick — as well as rookie WRs Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler — significant snaps he otherwise would not have seen. This has allowed the former to fast-track his development from a no-name player to something of a fantasy football hero who's "been awesome for the Broncos this season," as ESPN insider Field Yates put it.
“It's big. Anytime a guy gets more reps and more playing time, you'd like to see what they can do with it," Fangio said. "Tim obviously has excelled in his extra playing time that he's gotten and I'm not surprised by it. I've always liked him as a receiver.”
An impending restricted free agent, Patrick is highly likely to be tendered by the Broncos this coming offseason, perhaps at the second-round level (meaning if another team chose to sign him, they'd have to surrender a round-two draft pick). Per OverTheCap.com, the tender will cost a projected $3.422 million for the 2021 campaign.
Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL and @MileHighHuddle
