XFL RB Plans to 'Take Full Advantage' of Broncos' Try-Out Invitation

The NFL has lacked a well-structured developmental league for a long time. Ever since the NFL Europe talent pool was deemed too expensive, many worthy football players have been forced to give up on their pro dreams entirely.

Developing talent outside the traditional framework of college football has been a demand only recently met by the XFL and USFL. Suddenly, invites for rookie minicamps are materializing across the NFL, even for slightly older players, via the veteran try-out designation. This minor league system of sorts is quickly starting to bear some fruit.

Former Denver Broncos coach Wade Phillips recently banged the drum for his Houston Roughnecks sack specialist Trent Harris to get a look from his former team. Phillips went even further, enthusiastically insisting that plenty of XFL alumni could have value for NFL teams.

“If you watch the games, I thought we had a lot of good players,” Phillips told The Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson. “Some of them will be in the NFL, and that was our goal to help those guys get an opportunity.”

Ultimately, Harris did get that veteran try-out invite from the Broncos, and he starts his mission on Friday, so perhaps all that's missing is a real poster boy to break through and prove definitively just how effective the XFL can actually be.

This farm system of sorts would give forgotten or bypassed players a massive workable route back into the marquee league. The Broncos have also extended a try-out invite to well-traveled running back Jacques Patrick.

The Florida State product just completed a successful season with the XFL's San Antonio Brahmas, where he finished second in the league in rushing yards, so he's grateful for another chance to show his worth.

“It’s a chance to go out there and show the ability I’ve been blessed with, so I’m excited for it,” Patrick said via The Denver Gazette. “It’s an opportunity to get back to the NFL. I feel like I’ve worked hard and I belong.”

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Patrick also has NFL experience on his resume, which should help steer him through the ultra-competitive try-out process. The 26-year-old has spent time previously with the San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and most recently, a pair of stints with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Given that the Broncos' No. 1 running back Javonte Williams could miss more time as he recovers from a multi-ligament knee injury, Patrick's powerful running style, coupled with his 6-foot-2, 234-pound frame, could come in handy. Patrick feels that his developmental season carrying the ball consistently in the XFL proved his maturation as a player.

“I got a chance to show my versatility throughout the season, and I feel I did the things I needed to accomplish,” Patrick told Tomasson. “It felt good to get decent carries. It just felt like riding a bike again.”

The fact that the Broncos didn't select a running back in the 2023 NFL draft might open the door a bit more for Patrick. That might all change, however, if recent reports prove true and the Broncos do more than kick the tires on the free-agent veteran Kareem Hunt.

In the meantime, the window of opportunity extended by the Broncos means everything to Patrick, and he plans to exploit it.

“Every opportunity I get, I’m looking to take full advantage of,” Patrick told Tomasson. “It’s a good opportunity.”

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