Should the Broncos consider WR Tim Patrick a short-term IR candidate?

Tim Patrick will miss 6-8 weeks with a broken hand. Should Denver keep his seat warm?

In their loss to the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos' wideout Tim Patrick suffered a broken hand. As a result, Patrick will be out 6-8 weeks, which would typically land him on short-term injured reserve. 

There is an issue with that this year, though, as the Broncos have multiple players that have been placed injured reserve already and they can't all come back to the roster.

Denver has rookie quarterback Drew Lock, veteran running back Theo Riddick and tight end Jake Butt who are all eligible to come off of injured reserve, per the team's prerogative. Adding Patrick to that list just would give Denver more tough decisions, as only two of the players can be activated off short-term IR after eight weeks.

The Broncos should definitely put Tim Patrick on injured reserve, and here's the key, leave him there for the year. Riddick and Lock should be the priority, but the Broncos don’t know what other injuries they may sustain between now and mid-season. 

With Patrick, the Broncos are already solid at receiver and getting rookie sixth-rounder Juwann Winfree the reps could be a huge benefit. It sucks for Patrick, who emerged as a young potential stud last year, and sitting him for the year isn’t exactly ideal but there just aren’t many other options for the Broncos.

If Denver puts him on injured reserve, the team would need to look for someone who could replace his spot on the roster and on the WR depth chart. There are some decent options to fill in at the fifth receiver spot. 

The team could bring back Trinity Benson or Kelvin McKnight, both of whom spent the offseason with the Broncos. River Cracraft could be an option, but he was viewed more of a returner than receiver.

There are a few options on the open market for the Broncos to look at. Pierre Garcon has experience working in the scheme and is a solid veteran depth option. Jordan Matthews is a similar option to Garcon, having spent the offseason with the San Francisco 49ers. 

The last option that really stands out is Deonte Thompson. Looking for just a WR5 that may not even be active for the game, you can take a risk.

Whatever the Broncos do, this isn’t a position that really needs to take a lot of focus. The team still has four viable receivers that it can roll with. 

Figuring out the right tackle problem is the bigger concern, but with Patrick out for 6-8 weeks, the Broncos should just place him on IR and find someone to take over that fifth receiver spot. 

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