WR Tim Patrick Says Broncos' New Wilson/Hackett Offense is 'Something Different' Fans Haven't Seen

The first meaningful hint at what brand of offense awaits Broncos Counrty in 2022.

With Russell Wilson arriving in the Mile High City this offseason, every Denver Broncos skill-position player stands to benefit. However, most of the scrutiny and hype has centered around wideouts Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy, along with projected No. 1 tight end Albert Okwuegbunam. 

Whenever I get asked about who Denver's statistical studs are going to be this year, the one name that always gets omitted is that of Tim Patrick. Why?

The answer is simple: Patrick lacks a draft pedigree. 

However, the veteran wideout proved that he's capable of being a No. 2 (maybe even No. 1) receiver whilst Sutton missed most of the 2020 season, filling that void with a little help from the then-rookie Jeudy. The Broncos rewarded Patrick's diligent production with a three-year, $30 million contract extension last fall, coinciding with Sutton's four-year, $60 million deal. 

Patrick factors greatly into the Broncos' offensive plans this year with Wilson. To what degree, remains to be seen but on the heels of his first real NFL payday, Patrick isn't about to go quietly into that good night. 

Predating the blockbuster Wilson trade by about a month was the hiring of offensive-minded head coach Nathaniel Hackett. During OTAs, we caught glimpses of Hackett's offensive vision but in one of the last press conferences of the Broncos' offseason training program, Patrick spilled the beans on what makes the new scheme so explosive. 

“Outside run, throwing it deep," Patrick said back on June 1. "Everything plays off each other. There’s no tells in our plays. We have, I guess you could say, five routes that all look the same, and so you can never just key in on one route. The defense has to play us honestly, especially corners.”

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We know about the wide-zone running game and Patrick's remarks hint at a resurgence of the now-famous Wilson deep ball. Vertical passing is back on the menu in Denver and although Hackett is bringing back the Mike Shanahan wide-zone blocking scheme, Patrick insists that the offense Broncos fans will see this fall is a new flavor unto itself. 

“It’s just something different that we haven’t done yet," Patrick said. "Then you have to think—we have ‘Russ’ and we have Hackett. They put in both of their systems together, so it’s kind of a 1-of-1 offense. It’s not something that’s really been taught before.”

Aha.

Just like when the Broncos landed the biggest free-agent fish in NFL history, Peyton Manning's offensive predilections were melded with coordinator Mike McCoy's scheme to forge something heretofore unseen. The results were explosive, as evidenced by Manning's production over the next three seasons, although only one of them was with McCoy, who left following the 2012 campaign to become the then-San Diego Chargers head coach. 

Adam Gase took over as offensive coordinator, but the bones of the Manning/McCoy scheme remained. That next year, Manning broke all the records, passing for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards on the way to his record fifth NFL MVP award. The Broncos set the all-time single-season scoring record with 606 points. 

Could something similar be in store for the Wilson/Hackett era? Time will tell but while some analysts have reservations about Wilson suddenly becoming Mr. Prolific, remember, this isn't Seattle. 

The focus of the offense, and impetus thereof, is Wilson — unlike the Seattle Seahawks, whose run-first/play-defense philosophy limited the quarterback. Wilson's production over his decade in the Emerald City came almost in spite of the coaching philosophies, not because of it. 

Flip that in Denver. It starts with Wilson and everything trickles down from there. That alone is cause to expect a renaissance of sorts for the nine-time Pro Bowler. Stats are one thing but when it comes to expectations, the ante has been upped by the Wilson-led Broncos. 

“When you see someone carry themselves the right way every day, it makes you up your game not to slack and to put winning first," Patrick said. "At the end of the day, we’re all here to win a Super Bowl and if our quarterback does it, no one has an excuse not to do it.”

As for Patrick, he claims he doesn't have any specific "statistical goals" but he did acknowledge that busting 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career would be mighty fine. 

“Of course, I want to get 1,000 yards," Patrick acknowledged. "I’ve been close, but for what I’m giving on the field, I feel like I’m giving above and beyond. Like I said, I just want to win, so whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it.”

As a 16-game starter last season, Patrick totaled a career-high 53 receptions (on 85 targets) for 734 yards and five touchdowns. That was catching passes thrown by Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock in an aerially-challenged scheme.

Now imagine what's in store with Wilson at the controls. 

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Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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