Payton & Sutton Buzz About Broncos WR Tim Patrick's Bold Return

The Denver Broncos got one of their offensive leaders back on the field.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) during training camp at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit. / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

After two seasons lost to major injuries, Denver Broncos veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick has talked about how he had to stay close to the football flame, or else he'd risk extinguishing his competitive fire. Thankfully, any thoughts of a premature retirement ebbed away over time, and Patrick's renegotiated one-year deal to return to the team fits right in with head coach Sean Payton's desire for big-bodied pass-catchers.

On Tuesday, Payton referenced Patrick's return as one of the Broncos' bonafide locker room leaders but also stressed how the team is easing the 30-year-old back into the flow of things.

"Good. He had a few snaps," Payton said of Patrick and his transition from the sideline to the practice field. "I think he's continued to gain confidence. Just like we were talking earlier and I think I've seen some really good things. Then there's a whole other side of what he brings too. He's competitive, he's tough. He's one of the leaders in that room."

Payton's mission to assemble a more physical group of receivers led him away from Jerry Jeudy, and ultimately made him hold onto Patrick and his No.1 receiver — Courtland Sutton. Just recently, Sutton's contract was renegotiated in an incentive-laden deal to keep him happy, and he appears equally as happy to have his old buddy Patrick back alongside him for 2024.

"It's amazing to be able to have Tim back on the field," Sutton said of his old teammate. "Seeing him back out there brings a smile to my face. Tim and I have been doing this now for seven years together, and to be able to see him fight through the adversity that he's been through the past couple of years and come out here with the mentality that he has, it's been a lot of fun."

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However, the somewhat old-school act between Sutton and Patrick is only part of the emerging story at Denver's receiver position. Payton is covering a number of bases with the overall composition of his unit — different skill sets will be mixed and matched as he sees fit.

Sutton is savvy enough to know how Payton plans to set things up moving forward, so he fully expects the depth of the unit to be interchangeable in games.

"I'm sure you guys noticed last year, Coach is really big on personnel changes," Sutton said on Tuesday. "Throughout the game, he finds the best way to have the best personnel on the field for whatever the situation is in the game. If you can trot out three six [foot]-three [inch] receivers in a situation that can go out there and put a height advantage against a shorter defensive back group—I don't care how good the group is. I think that gives us an advantage to pick and choose where we want to take our one-on-one advantage if we get the guys in and or catch them in a zone, whatever it might be."

While Sutton and Patrick will be the veteran driving forces within the Broncos' receiver room this season, the reinforcements that arrived during the draft — like Oregon's Troy Franklin — will be asked to do carry their water. Similarly, Josh Reynolds, who arrived in free agency, gives Payton a do-it-all type of guy to toss into the gumbo he's cooking. 

Type casting Denver's receiver stable as one-trick ponies is low-hanging fruit, but Sutton is of the belief that there is more to this group than meets the eye.

"I think all of our tall receivers aren't just jump ball guys," Sutton said. "I think a lot of people think that all tall receivers just do one thing. I think we have a lot of tall receivers that can run routes and that are very versatile. I think that brings a lot of diversity into our room. Then you add in 'Marv' [WR Marvin Mims Jr.], and 'Virg' [WR Jalen Virgil], and [WR Michael] Bandy. We have those other guys that can beat you in between the hashes and also can outside and add some form of a versatility to our room."

Finding that distinct mixture and blend is particularly smart thinking on the part of Payton because whoever becomes his new quarterback will require it over a challenging 17-game season. The media might be overly fixated on how Payton is amassing 6-foot-3 type receivers, but it's the confluence of styles the Broncos head coach is really looking for.

"I like the depth at receiver," Payon said. "I've said that from Day 1. Like the young guys we drafted. I like the guys that we have returning. That's going to be a pretty tough competition if you guys—and you guys all do the math and look at the numbers. There's a lot of guys out there competing for jobs, and I like the size of the position group as well."

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