Report: Broncos' WR Tim Patrick broke left hand, will require surgery

The Broncos will be without their No. 4 receiver for a while.

Tim Patrick appeared in eight snaps in the Denver Broncos' season-opening loss to the Oakland Raiders. He posted zero stats but unfortunately, suffered a hand injury and could be seen wearing a cast of some sort on his left hand following the game.

On Tuesday, we learned that Patrick in fact suffered a broken hand that will require surgery. Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Athletic, the injury is not expected to be season-ending.

Per multiple reports, Patrick is expected to miss 6-8 weeks, which makes him a candidate to return off injured reserve later in the season. However, the Broncos can only bring two players off IR in-season, and they've already placed QB Drew Lock, RB Theo Riddick and TE Jake Butt there. 

It's a tough break for the second-year wideout, who really came on strong down the stretch in 2018 with Emmanuel Sanders' injured. The trio of Patrick, Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton gave the Broncos hope for the future but those plans, at least for Patrick in the short-term, will have to be put on hold.

Meanwhile, the Broncos still have five wideouts on the roster with Patrick expected to miss time. If anyone stands to benefit from Patrick's absence, it's rookie Juwan Winfree.

Winfree was a Broncos' 2019 sixth-round draft pick and he made the 53-man roster out of camp. He was a healthy scratch in the season opener but that's likely to change in Week 2 vs. the Chicago Bears.

It's a tough break for Patrick, though. Going undrafted in 2017, Patrick played at the University of Utah and signed with the Broncos in October of that year where he spent time on the practice squad before earning a 53-man roster spot out of camp in 2018.

Right tackle Ja'Wuan James also suffered a knee injury vs. the Raiders. His prognosis is currently unknown. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.