Tag: Aaron Patrick

Broncos injuries: 2 players recovering from ‘minor’ surgeries

Broncos defensive linemen D.J. Jones and Mike Purcell are recovering from ‘minor’ offseason surgeries, according to 9News.

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Denver Broncos running back Javonte Williams (knee) being limited at practice to begin organized team activities is a very positive development for the team.

On the other side of the ball, the news isn’t as good as defensive linemen Mike Purcell and D.J. Jones are both recovering from “minor offseason surgeries,” according to a report from KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis.

It’s not clear what surgeries Purcell and Jones had done, but Purcell suffered elbow and ankle injuries last year and Jones had shoulder and knee injuries in 2022.

Elsewhere on the injury front, coach Sean Payton said wide receiver Jerry Jeudy “banged his thigh” at Thursday’s practice and will be fine.

Meanwhile, cornerback Pat Surtain, safety JL Skinner, outside linebackers Christopher Allen and Ray Wilborn and wide receivers Tim Patrick and KJ Hamler worked on the side during Thursday’s practice. Special teams ace Aaron Patrick (recovering from torn ACL) is also sidelined.

Overall, it’s mostly good news on the injury front for Denver. Recovering players seem to be coming along well and the new injuries seem to be mostly minor. The team will hope that trend continues this season.

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Broncos offseason roster: No. 94, Aaron Patrick

After tearing his ACL on SoFi Stadium’s sideline last October, Broncos OLB Aaron Patrick will hope to recover and bounce back in 2023.

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Broncos Wire’s 90-man offseason roster series continues today with a look at third-year outside linebacker Aaron Patrick, No. 94.

Before the Broncos: Patrick (6-4, 245 pounds) played college football at Eastern Kentucky, totaling 25 sacks in five years (48 games) from 2015-2019. He joined the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted practice squad player in 2020 and he began the 2021 season on Jacksonville’s practice squad before being signed by the Broncos.

Broncos tenure: Denver signed Patrick off the Jags’ practice squad early in the 2021 season and he appeared in 12 games that year, quickly emerging as a key special teams player. In addition to playing 52 snaps on defense and totaling eight tackles, Patrick played 208 snaps on special teams in 2021.

Patrick went into the 2022 season as one of the team’s key special teams players, totaling 102 snaps on special teams through the first five games of the season. He then tore his ACL in October after awkwardly landing on a carpet on the sideline of SoFi Stadium. Patrick is suing several parties — including the Chargers — after the injury ended his season.

Chances to make the 53-man roster: It remains to be seen how quickly Patrick will be cleared to return from his ACL injury. He might be a candidate to begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. If Patrick is able to make a full recovery, he should be a strong candidate to make the 53-man roster once again as a top special teams player.

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Broncos’ updated OLB depth chart after the NFL draft

The Broncos have two clear starters in Baron Browning and Randy Gregory at OLB with several intriguing young players behind them.

OLB1 OLB2 Depth ST
Baron Browning Randy Gregory Jake Martin Aaron Patrick
Jonathon Cooper Nik Bonitto Christopher Allen Thomas Incoom
Marcus Haynes

After not selecting a pass rusher in the 2023 NFL draft, the Denver Broncos’ outside linebacker depth chart only features a few additions since April.

Leading the way as the team’s starting edge defenders are Baron Browning and Randy Gregory, who will aim to stay healthy this season and live up to their potential. Behind them are Jonathon Cooper, a nine-game starter as an injury fill-in last year, and Nik Bonitto, who will look to take a step forward in 2023 after an underwhelming rookie season.

After those top four OLBs, things get a little interesting. Jake Martin has totaled 16 sacks in 74 games (16 starts) with four teams over the last five years. Unless he’s cut to save salary cap space ($3.8 million), Martin figures to be part of the pass-rush rotation in 2023.

Update: Martin was released on Wednesday.

Christopher Allen missed all of his rookie season in 2022 on injured reserve with a foot injury, but he was one of the team’s top undrafted free agent signings last year and could be a sleeper to watch for this summer.

Aaron Patrick was a key special teams player for Denver before he tore his ACL last year. If he fully recovers from that knee injury, he should have a decent chance to make the team once again as an ST contributor.

Thomas Incoom and Marcus Haynes are among the team’s UDFA signings this year. They will likely be competing for spots on the practice squad.

The Broncos carried six OLBs on their initial 53-man roster in 2022.

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Broncos OLB Aaron Patrick suing NFL, Chargers after injury

After tearing his ACL on the sideline at SoFi Stadium, Broncos OLB Aaron Patrick is suing the NFL and Chargers.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Aaron Patrick is suing the NFL and Los Angeles Chargers (among others) after a carpet on the sideline of SoFi Stadium caused him to tear his ACL during a game on Oct. 17, according to a report from TMZ Sports.

“Patrick is suing for unspecified damages, including lost bonuses and future earning potential,” TMZ Sports reported Tuesday.

Patrick’s torn ACL was a season-ending injury that landed him on injured reserve.

Patrick’s agent, Lamont Smith, told NFL Network in October that he was “very disturbed” by how the injury happened.

“I was very disturbed about the way the injury occurred with the carpet being on the sideline like that,” Smith said last month. “His cleat got lodged in the carpet trying to avoid the media person.”

JC Tretter, the president of the NFL’s players union, recently wrote an article that called for the league to “clear the excess people and dangerous equipment from the sidelines.”

“We have seen too many injuries because of this issue, and it really should be a simple fix,” Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website. “Give the players their space to perform. Year after year, the NFL tells us they will look into it; and year after year, nothing ever changes.”

The NFL has not taken action, so Patrick is taking matters into his own hands by suing the league. Perhaps that will motivate the NFL to make some changes to its sidelines going forward.

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Aaron Patrick’s agent ‘very disturbed’ by cause of OLB’s torn ACL

Aaron Patrick’s agent told NFL Network he is ‘very disturbed’ by the way Patrick tore his ACL on the sideline.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Aaron Patrick suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday.

After covering a punt in the fourth quarter, Patrick ran out of bounds and attempted to avoid running over someone on the sideline. Patrick planted his left foot on a carpet and his foot got stuck and his knee was caught in an awkward position, which resulted in a torn ACL.

After news broke on Tuesday that Patrick will miss the rest of the 2022 season, his agent, Lamont Smith, released a statement to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

“I was very disturbed about the way the injury occurred with the carpet being on the sideline like that,” Smith told Pelissero. “His cleat got lodged in the carpet trying to avoid the media person.”

The carpet appeared to be on the sideline to cover wires, and the person that Patrick ran into appeared to be some kind of NFL game-day personnel member.

Patrick played 76% of the team’s special teams snaps in the five games he played this year before suffering the injury. He will now spend the rest of the 2022 season on injured reserve before returning for a contract year in 2023.

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Broncos injuries: OLB Aaron Patrick out for year; QB Russell Wilson day-to-day

Broncos QB Russell Wilson is ‘day-to-day’ with a hamstring injury. OLB Aaron Patrick will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is “day-to-day” after suffering a hamstring injury against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday.

Rapoport reported that Wilson is “pushing to play,” but the team will evaluate his progress during the week. If Wilson is not able to play in Week 7, Brett Rypien will likely start in his place. Josh Johnson is also available on the practice squad.

Elsewhere on the injury front, cornerback Essang Bassey also has a hamstring injury, and outside linebacker Aaron Patrick suffered a season-ending knee injury on Monday.

Patrick’s ankle got caught in a carpet when he tried to avoid a person on the sideline after covering a punt. Patrick’s knee gave out and the defender tore his ACL, ending his season.

Patrick was a key player on special teams for the Broncos, playing 72% of the team’s special teams snaps last year and 76% this year before his injury.

After playing on Monday, the Broncos have a short week before hosting the New York Jets on Sunday. Denver’s first injury report of the week will be released on Wednesday.

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Why did the Broncos trade Malik Reed?

“I love Malik [Reed], everyone does. Great kid, really good player,” Broncos GM George Paton said. “We just had a log jam [at OLB].”

Malik Reed was an unexpected success story for the Denver Broncos.

After joining the team as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada in 2019, Reed initially made the 53-man roster as a backup rotational pass rusher. He went on to start eight games as a rookie as an injury fill-in.

Due to various injuries to Bradley Chubb and Von Miller (plus Miller’s mid-season trade last year), Reed later started 13 games both in 2020 and in 2021. Reed totaled 15 sacks in 45 games and he was an excellent rotational rusher who was capable of stepping up when called upon.

So why did the Broncos trade him?

While Reed was a productive pass rusher, he sometimes struggled to set the edge against the run, and Denver is arguably deeper at outside linebacker than any other position this year.

“I love Malik, everyone does. Great kid, really good player,” general manager George Paton said Tuesday. “We just had a log jam [at that position]. We had a lot of really talented outside backers that can rush.”

The Broncos moved Baron Browning from inside linebacker to the edge this spring and that position switch has looked like a smart decision. Denver later used a second-round pick to select Nik Bonitto in the draft, giving the team two excellent backups behind Chubb and new arrival Randy Gregory.

Reed was likely going to be fifth on the team’s pass-rush depth chart, with Jonathon Cooper and Aaron Patrick vying for backup reps as well. The OLB room was crowded, so the Broncos decided to swap Reed and a seventh-round pick for a sixth-round pick from the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Reed will get more playing time and Denver gets a higher pick.

“I thought it would be best to trade Malik and trade him to somewhere he was going to fit in at a really good organization,” Paton said. “We wouldn’t have just traded him anywhere. He wanted to go to Pittsburgh, and we found a home for him, and I think it’s a win-win for both sides.”

The Broncos still have plenty of pass rushers and Reed will now get more snaps than he would have in Denver. Everyone wins.

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Broncos sign edge rusher Aaron Patrick off Jaguars practice squad

Denver added one of Jacksonville’s developmental edge rushers to its active roster on Thursday.

After beating Jacksonville 23-13 on Sunday, Denver added insult to injury by signing developmental edge-rushing outside linebacker Aaron Patrick off the Jaguars’ practice squad on Thursday.

Patrick went undrafted in 2020 out of Eastern Kentucky, where he totaled 27.5 sacks over his career and earned First Team FCS All-American honors during his final year in 2019. He joined the Jaguars practice squad last December and signed a futures contract in January.

He was waived during final cuts following the 2021 preseason, but was brought back just a few days later to rejoin the practice squad. Now, Patrick will be on an active, 53-man roster for the first time.

This move makes a good deal of sense for Denver, who lost starting edge rusher, Bradley Chubb, to an injury on Sunday. He was placed on the injured reserve and is expected to be out six to eight weeks. In Patrick, the Broncos add a depth guy to the active roster who could potentially develop into something more.

Jacksonville hasn’t yet made a move to replace Patrick on the practice squad, but it’s possible that one could be imminent. Veteran tight end Trey Burton (who Urban Meyer recruited to Florida and coached) has a pending workout with the Jags in the wake of James O’Shaughnessy being placed on the injured reserve.

If the Jags choose to bring in Burton, he would very likely be heading to the practice squad as Jacksonville still has three tight ends on the active roster. Burton is a free agent who most recently played with the Indianapolis Colts during the 2020 season.

Broncos sign OLB Aaron Patrick off Jaguars’ practice squad

With Bradley Chubb expected to miss 6-8 weeks, the Broncos brought in Aaron Patrick to provide more depth at outside linebacker.

The Denver Broncos have signed outside linebacker Aaron Patrick off the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad, the defender’s agent announced on Twitter on Thursday.

Patrick (6-4, 245 pounds) is a first-year player who entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Kentucky last spring. The 24-year-old edge defender finished his rookie season on the Jags’ practice squad, where he also began the 2021 season.

Patrick earned FCS All-American first-team honors in 2019 after totaling 44 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception in his final season with the Colonels.

In Denver, Patrick will provide depth at outside linebacker after the team lost Bradley Chubb to an ankle surgery that is expected to sideline him for 6-8 weeks. Patrick now becomes the fifth OLB on the active roster, joining Von Miller, Malik Reed, Jonathon Cooper and Andre Mintze.

The Broncos will need to make a corresponding roster move to make room for Patrick on the 53-man roster.

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Jaguars add edge rusher Aaron Patrick to practice squad, release K Kaare Vedvik

Jacksonville re-signed Patrick, who it waived on Monday, to the practice squad.

Jacksonville continues to tinker with its practice squad. On Thursday, the team made another change to the group, bringing back second-year edge rusher Aaron Patrick, who was waived by the Jaguars on Monday. The team also released kicker Kaare Vedvik to clear space on the practice squad.

A former First Team FCS All-American during his redshirt senior season at Eastern Kentucky in 2019, Patrick went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft after totaling 27.5 sacks in his career with the Colonels. He joined the Jaguars practice squad last December, signing a futures contract in January.

Patrick made the initial 53-man roster before the Jags decided to waive him. He cleared waivers, and now he’ll be heading back to the practice squad.

Vedvik, the player Jacksonville released to make room for Patrick, has been a journeyman kicker since entering the league in 2018, but he hasn’t been able to stick it out on an active roster. He’s attempted an extra point and a 45-yard field goal in his career, missing both.