Englewood, Colo. • For five hours after a fire flash of pain shot up his heel, ending the second straight season of his pro career before it began, Tim Patrick was haunted by his dark, new reality.
“It was probably the most down I’ve ever been,” the Denver Broncos’ veteran wide receiver said Friday, speaking to reporters for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury in camp one year ago this week.
On Aug. 2, 2022, Patrick landed awkwardly after leaping over a defender to catch a deep pass. The former Ute suffered a torn ACL, ending a season that he entered with huge expectations after signing a three-year, $30 million contract extension the previous November. Just 363 days later, Patrick suffered another devastating camp injury. This time, his Achilles tendon snapped as he broke off the line of scrimmage to run a route against air. It was a fluke injury that came at the end of an arduous rehab process.
The whys, what-ifs and what-nows pinged around Patrick’s brain for those five hours afterward. It all felt dark.
Then, Patrick made a choice. This wasn’t going to be the end.
“Once I talked to the doctors and talked to some people close to me, it was just another challenge,” Patrick said. “You guys know the story. It’s never been easy. It’s always the hard way with me for some reason. But it’s something that I embraced. It was just another situation to make my story that much greater.”
Patrick entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and found his way onto Denver’s practice squad that season. He had already overcome significant adversity at that point, missing a full season and parts of another at the University of Utah after suffering a gruesome leg injury in 2014. But by 2018, he began a gradual ascent with the Broncos, catching 23 passes while carving a role on special teams. Across the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Patrick caught more touchdowns (11) than any other Broncos receiver. He was tough and reliable, and he cemented himself as part of Denver’s future at wide receiver.
Now he’s a 30-year-old who hasn’t played in an NFL game since Jan. 8, 2022. He’s learning a new offense, adjusting to new quarterbacks and trying to re-establish his rhythm as a player. Patrick was in Denver last season as he worked through another long rehab, but he wasn’t spending that time diving into the scheme. His focus had to be more singular.
“The situation I was put in was a situation that doesn’t happen too often,” Patrick said of his back-to-back injuries. “I focused more on me. I chose to be selfish, focus on me and my mental (health) and be sure that I came back a better version of myself.”
Selfish would be the last word teammates and coaches would use to describe Patrick. It’s why the team prioritized bringing him back on an adjusted one-year deal in 2024, even with so much uncertainty about how his body would recover from all it has been through the past two seasons. Patrick was often in the ears of teammates during games last season, pointing out things he saw from the defense or cracking a joke when he sensed the need for levity. Patrick has learned that lasting in the NFL means finding a way to bring value, and in 2023 that meant “coaching, screaming, talking mess on the sidelines, any way I could help us get an edge.”
“It’s just those intangibles,” coach Sean Payton said in June when explaining the decision to keep Patrick on the roster. “I do know and obviously have seen healthy tape. Granted, I wasn’t here, but I kind of have an idea or vision for the player. Then, all the other things that he brings relative to his competitiveness, his versatility. He’s a great teammate. I think he’s an important part of the locker room, so it’s good to see him more and be smart with that.”
Courtland Sutton and Patrick have been teammates for the past seven seasons. They smiled through a joint news conference when they signed their contract extensions in 2021. They believe they have unfinished business to accomplish together. When Sutton ran drills next to Patrick as camp began last week, he said he couldn’t help but smile.
“To be able to see him fight through the adversity that he’s been through the past couple years and come out here with the mentality that he has, it’s been a lot of fun,” Sutton said.
The story, of course, is not done. Patrick’s return does not come with the guarantee of a roster spot. Locks to make it among the wide receivers are Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr. and, most likely, rookie Troy Franklin, whom the Broncos drafted in the fourth round after trading to move up. Two other spots could also be available, but Patrick, who is playing on what amounts to a veteran-minimum deal this season, is battling with players like Brandon Johnson, Lil’Jordan Humphrey and seventh-round rookie and former Ute DeVaughn Vele, among others.
Patrick, though, is not preoccupied with the pecking order. The past two years have helped him appreciate being more present. Before practice, he goes through “a little routine” that helps him block out any thoughts or concerns about injuries. It’s part of an intentional process that has helped Patrick deal with the mental grind two years of rehab can take on a player.
“Once I’m on the field, it’s football for the most part,” Patrick said. “There’s little small things I do just to get me into that positive mental space to make sure I’m not thinking about (injuries) out there. At the end of the day, if I’m worrying about something, I’m not going to be myself. My game isn’t that I’m super fast or super strong. My game is that I’m out there with my hair on fire. I play fast and I play physical, and you can’t play that way if you’re worried about something out there.”
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.