Tag: Jarrett Stidham

Everybody absolutely loved Tim Patrick’s comeback performance

Tim Patrick missed all of 2022 with a torn ACL and all of 2023 with a torn Achilles. He’s now healthy again and back to making big plays!

Tim Patrick has had quite a journey over the last three years.

The veteran Denver Broncos wide receiver tore his ACL early in 2022 during training camp and missed that entire season. After rehabbing and getting back on the field in 2023, Patrick tore his Achilles at camp and missed all of last season.

After back-to-back serious injuries, Patrick rehabbed again and got back on the field this summer. He looked like his old self on Sunday night, hauling in four receptions for 30 yards and a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers.

“Players were excited in there for him,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said after the game. “He had a big smile on his face. … [W]hen you have one of those injuries, it’s quiet, it’s lonely, everything goes on, it’s difficult. When you have it for two — you can really go back historically and then try to find players that have been out for two years and it’s tough. It’s a long time in this sport. So when he has a moment like that or when he has a practice where you see him getting back to form, it’s encouraging.”

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw to Patrick four times and the 30-year-old receiver hauled in each of those targets.

“[I’m] happy for him,” Nix said after the game. “Obviously, he’s been through a lot. It’s not easy to overcome the things that he has, and then to get out there and be able to contribute like he did tonight was just really cool to see. He’s a gamer. He does a really good job when his number is called. It was good to see him in the end zone.”

By all accounts, Patrick is beloved by his teammates, and they were thrilled to see him making plays again on Sunday night.

“I can’t speak highly enough of Tim as a person and as a player,” quarterback Jarrett Stidham said. “He’s a veteran, he works his tail off, the last two years have obviously been tough for him, but to see him come back and be able to do the things he’s done, and he had a great game tonight, was open pretty much the entire time he was out there, and I couldn’t be more excited for him for sure.”

Even former teammates chimed in on social media:

Courtland Sutton, who has been teammates with Patrick his entire seven-year career, said you could feel the excitement after Sunday’s touchdown.

“Man, I was so happy for him,” Sutton said. “I could have celebrated with him the rest of the game if I could. I was just so happy to see him be able to get in the end zone. He’s been working his butt off, you guys probably know it just as well.

“The journey he’s been on the last couple of years and to see him get in the end zone, see the excitement — you could almost feel the juice of him. He’s over here trying to be all cool, but you could feel the juice and how excited he was to get back into the end zone and be out there and play this game that he’s worked so hard to enjoy.”

Before back-to-back injuries, Patrick totaled 164 receptions for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2020-2021. Now healthy again, he’ll aim to win the No. 2 receiver job across from Sutton. Sunday was a step in the right direction, but Patrick is not content with a feel-good preseason performance.

“Obviously, I’m happy,” Patrick said after the game. “[But] I have a higher standard of myself. Just trying to be a better story. So, it’s a step in the right direction. But once I get these camp legs to go away, I’ll be better.

“Like I said, I just have a higher standard for myself. And obviously, I want to go out during the preseason and making plays, but what’s most important is making plays when the season starts and getting wins. Not just making plays and losing but getting wins.”

The Broncos defeated the Packers 27-2 on Sunday night, but preseason scores obviously don’t matter for standings. The real action begins in September and it looks like Patrick will be ready to help Denver make some noise when it counts.

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Sean Payton not naming a Broncos starting quarterback (yet)

“I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said Sunday. “I’ll let you guys know when the time comes.”

After two weeks of preseason action, the Denver Broncos have an easy decision to make — Bo Nix should be the starting quarterback.

Following a 27-2 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, though, Broncos coach Sean Payton was in no rush to announce a QB1 decision.

“Well listen, he’s played well,” Payton said when asked if Nix has done enough to win the starting job. “I’m not announcing any starting quarterback tonight. I’ll let you guys know when the time comes. I thought he played well. He had the one penalty which was, man right on the line, it’s tough. It’s good — it was a pretty heads up play. He did a good job at the line of scrimmage with some checks. You feel his comfort level as he continues to get used to the calls coming in and you kind of feel the poise when he’s playing and the other two the same way.

“I said this last week, ‘I like the room.’ So, their job is to lead their offense down the field and score points. They all had touchdown drives, but I thought he was sharp. Obviously, I think he was eight for nine [on completions]. He does a good job of distributing the football, understanding the zones, man-to-man, what coverage concepts we’re getting. Overall, I was pleased.”

Payton clearly likes what he’s seen from Nix, but we’re not getting an official announcement — yet. “We’re not there yet,” Payton said.

The coach was pushed twice more about the starting job before he put an end to questions about the topic.

“Alright putting the cap on the Bo questions right here,” Payton said. “The band sounds pretty good. I’m not dancing. Listen, there are a lot of things we did well as a team. I’m not announcing a starter, and I told you I’ll get with you when we do.”

Nix was asked after the game if he believes he’s done enough to win the starting job this summer.

“That’s not for me to decide,” the rookie said flatly.

Through two preseason games, Nix is 23-of-30 passing for 205 yards with two touchdown passes and no turnovers. He has also rushed six times for 29 rushing yards and he has not been sacked. Surely, Nix will be named the starting quarterback, perhaps later this week.

Denver will return to practice on Wednesday, so fans can probably expect to hear an official announcement by midweek.

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10 notes and takeaways from the Broncos’ second preseason game

Here are 10 takeaways from the Broncos’ preseason win over the Packers.

The Denver Broncos thoroughly defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-2 at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2 of preseason action on Sunday night. Here are ten quick notes and takeaways from the victory.

1. Injury report: Nine players were held out, eight of them due to ailments. Notable among the injured players are safety Brandon Jones (hamstring) and guard Ben Powers (ribs). Jones also missed the team’s preseason opener last week. We’ll see if he suits up for the preseason finale on Aug. 25.

2. Tim Patrick is making the team: My 53-man roster prediction last week had Denver carrying five wide receivers, and Patrick was not among them. I’m sorry, Tim. The 30-year-old receiver was targeted four times on Sunday and hauled in all four targets for 30 yards and a touchdown. Tim Patrick is back.

3. Troy Franklin is invisible: Has anyone seen Denver’s fourth-round draft pick? Franklin is now two preseason games into his NFL career and he does not have a single reception. The Broncos have a very crowded wide receiver room and Franklin certainly isn’t standing out.

4. Samaje Perine’s stock continues to fall: Perine rushed five times for 16 yards on Sunday, an average of 3.2 yards per tote. He added one reception for five yards. The aging running back seems to be trending toward becoming a cap casualty this summer.

5. Keidron Smith is making a case: The second-year safety has grabbed an interception in each of the team’s first two preseason games. Denver has a crowded secondary, but Smith is doing all he can to make the squad.

6. Tyler Badie scores yet again: It’s very hard to imagine there being room for Baide on the 53-man roster, but he has a great habit of scoring almost every time he touches the ball. Badie has two touchdowns through two weeks of preseason this summer and one career score in the regular season off of one catch. He should be a top practice squad candidate.

7. Kris Abrams-Draine is a promising cornerback: After impressing in the team’s preseason opener, the fifth-round draft pick played well again on Sunday. He ended the day with three tackles and one pass breakup, and he was also involved on special teams.

8. Jonah Elliss continues to impress: Two games, two sacks for Elliss. His strip sack against the Packers led to a field goal. Elliss also has essentially forced a pair of interceptions with his pressure. The rookie is currently the fourth outside linebacker on the depth chart, but his stock is rising.

9. Zach Wilson might beat out Jarrett Stidham: Assuming the Broncos start Bo Nix, the backup job will go to Stidham or Wilson. Stidham is three years older, but Wilson has 29 more career starts and he’s still young enough to have some upside. Stidham is who he is at this point in his career.

10. Bo Nix is the obvious QB1: Seven drives, six scores (and the only turnover wasn’t his fault). Nix is 23-of-30 passing for 205 yards with two touchdowns through two preseason games, and he’s also made plays with his legs. Denver has found its QB of the future — and present — in Nix.

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Broncos have an easy decision to make at quarterback

Broncos coach Sean Payton has an easy decision to make: Bo Nix should be named the starting quarterback.

Five months after releasing quarterback Russell Wilson and taking on the largest dead money salary cap hit in NFL history, the Denver Broncos have found their replacement.

Bo Nix is the team’s quarterback of the future, and present.

Nix performed exceptionally well in the team’s first two preseason games and, granted, he did play against backups, but he turned in the kind of performance you would want to see from a starter against reserves.

Nix led seven drives over the last two weeks. The Broncos scored on six of those drives (the other drive ended with a Lucas Krull fumble). Through two preseason games, Nix is 23-of-30 passing for 205 yards with two touchdown passes and no turnovers. He also has six carries for 29 rushing yards.

It should be an easy decision for Denver coach Sean Payton to name Nix the team’s starting quarterback. This is undoubtedly the outcome that Payton was hoping for when he used the 12th overall pick during April’s NFL draft to select Nix, who is a perfect fit for Payton’s offense.

The Broncos are not scheduled to practice again until Wednesday, so an official announcement might still be a few days away. It feels inevitable, though, that Nix will be named the starting quarterback for Denver’s road season opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Sept. 8.

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Broncos defeat Packers 27-2 in second preseason game

The Broncos defeated the Packers 27-2 in Week 2 of NFL preseason on Sunday night.

The Denver Broncos defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-2 in Week 2 of NFL preseason at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday night.

The Packers rested most of their starters, but the Broncos opted to play starters for the first two series of the game on both sides of the ball.

Denver rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to running back Javonte Williams on the team’s opening drive, but the play was called back because Nix stepped over the line of scrimmage before his throw. That penalty left Denver with a 4th-and-7 at Green Bay’s 18-yard line and the Broncos opted for a 37-yard Wil Lutz field goal to take a 3-0 lead.

On his second series, Nix led an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick to increase the lead to 10-0. Nix finished the game 8-of-9 passing for 80 yards, one touchdown pass and no turnovers. He also rushed three times for 12 yards.

Nix exited the game after two drives and Jarrett Stidham took over with the second-string offense. Following a Keidron Smith interception that set up Denver with good field position, Stidham rushed for a nine-yard touchdown to give the Broncos a 17-0 lead going into halftime.

In the second half, Stidham had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage and then intercepted by the Packers. Stidham finished the game 7-of-11 passing for 65 yards with nine rushing yards, one score and one turnover.

Zach Wilson took over later in the third quarter after Jonah Elliss recorded a strip-sack. That fumble was recovered by Denver and led to a 39-yard Lutz field goal to make it 20-0 late in the third quarter.

After being backed up by an Alex Forsyth holding penalty, the Broncos surrendered their first and only points of the night when Wilson was sacked in his own end zone for a safety, 20-2.

Later in the fourth quarter, Wilson connected on a seven-yard screen pass to running back Tyler Badie for a touchdown to extend the lead to 27-2, which ended up being the final score.

Up next for the Broncos is a preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 25. After that, Denver will have until Aug. 27 to trim the roster from 91 players down to 53. Broncos coach Sean Payton said last week there are about 9-10 players on the roster bubble.

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WATCH: Broncos QB Jarrett Stidham runs for 9-yard TD vs. Packers

A nice touchdown run by Jarrett Stidham to give the Broncos a 17-0 lead over the Packers at halftime.

After safety Keidron Smith intercepted a pass and returned it 56 yards, the Denver Broncos were set up with good field position late in the second half of Sunday’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers.

Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham took advantage of that field position and rushed for a nine-yard touchdown a few plays later. Here’s video of the score, courtesy of the team’s official Twitter/X page:

After that score, Denver now leads Green Bay 17-0 at halftime.

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Ex-Broncos QB Russell Wilson sacked 3 times in Steelers debut

Russell Wilson, who was sacked 100 times in 30 games with the Broncos, isn’t off to a great start with the Steelers.

After sitting out Week 1 with a calf injury, former Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson made his Pittsburgh Steelers debut on Saturday night. His performance will sound familiar to Broncos fans.

Wilson led five drives, including one that went into field goal range (the attempt missed). He went 8-of-10 passing for 47 yards and was sacked three times, losing 21 yards on those sacks. That gave Wilson a net average of two yards per passing play in an eventual 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Justin Fields played with Pittsburgh’s second-string offense and he went 11-of-17 passing for 92 yards. Fields was sacked once for five yards. He also rushed eight times for 42 yards (Wilson did not log any rushing attempts).

Wilson was sacked 100 times in 30 games with the Broncos, which is part of the reason why coach Sean Payton decided to eat an NFL-record $85 million worth of dead money to cut Wilson this spring. Denver’s three quarterbacks did not take any sacks in the team’s preseason opener last week.

The Broncos are set to host the Steelers in Week 2 this fall. If Wilson is Pittsburgh’s starter, that game will be must-watch television.

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Broncos depth chart for preseason game vs. Packers

Here is the Broncos’ “unofficial” depth chart for their preseason showdown with the Packers today.

The Denver Broncos unveiled their depth chart for a Week 2 preseason showdown with the Green Bay Packers earlier this week.

The depth chart will look familiar to anyone who paid attention to the team’s initial depth chart release last week. That’s because coach Sean Payton has not made any lineup changes since the original depth chart.

The only two changes are personnel revisions — defensive back Kaleb Hayes joined the team this week and outside linebacker Jaylon Allen was waived. Everyone else on the roster has the exact same placement as last week.

The Broncos will make changes to the depth chart eventually, but Payton is clearly in no rush to let fans and pundits (and opponents) know how the team’s players stack up after one week of preseason action.

Denver also calls it an “unofficial” depth chart, so there’s really not much to glean from it, but here it is nonetheless.

Broncos offensive depth chart

WR Tim Patrick Marvin Mims Brandon Johnson Phillip Dorsett Jalen Virgil Troy Franklin
LT Garett Bolles Matt Peart Demontrey Jacobs
LG Ben Powers Calvin Throckmorton Nick Gargiulo
C Luke Wattenberg Alex Forsyth Sam Mustipher
RG Quinn Meinerz Will Sherman Oliver Jervis
RT Mike McGlinchey Alex Palczewski Frank Crum
TE Adam Trautman Greg Dulcich Lucas Krull Nate Adkins Hunter Kampmoyer Thomas Yassmin
WR Courtland Sutton Josh Reynolds Lil’Jordan Humphrey David Sills Michael Bandy Devaughn Vele
RB Javonte Williams Samaje Perine Jaleel McLaughlin Tyler Badie Audric Estime Blake Watson
FB Michael Burton
QB Jarrett Stidham Zach Wilson Bo Nix

Broncos defensive depth chart

DE Zach Allen Angelo Blackson Jordan Jackson
NT D.J. Jones Malcolm Roach Matt Henningsen Jordan Miller
DE John Franklin-Myers Elijah Garcia Eyioma Uwazurike
SLB Jonathon Cooper Thomas Incoom Jonah Elliss
WLB Baron Browning Nik Bonitto Durell Nchami Dondrea Tillman
ILB Alex Singleton Justin Strnad Andre Smith
ILB Jonas Griffith
OR
Cody Barton		 Levelle Bailey Alec Mock
LCB Pat Surtain Levi Wallace Tremon Smith Kris Abrams-Draine
RCB Damarri Mathis
OR
Riley Moss		 Art Green Kaleb Hayes
NCB Ja’Quan McMillian Reese Taylor Quinton Newsome
S P.J. Locke JL Skinner Tanner McCalister Omar Brown
S Brandon Jones Devon Key Keidron Smith

Broncos special teams depth chart

PK Wil Lutz
KO Wil Lutz Trenton Gill
P Riley Dixon OR Trenton Gill
H Riley Dixon OR Trenton Gill
LS Mitchell Fraboni
KR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith Jaleel McLaughlin
PR Marvin Mims Tremon Smith Michael Bandy

After hosting the Packers this week, the Broncos will close out preseason against the Arizona Cardinals. Both games will be nationally televised.

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Ex-QB Chase Daniel breaks down Nix’ plays in Broncos QB battle

Ex-NFL QB Chase Daniel, breaks down the snaps Denver Broncos Bo Nix participated in on the field against the Colts as the Broncos choose between 3 QBs for a starter

The Denver Broncos are using the preseason to guide their pick for the next starting quarterback and currently three contenders, Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson, are competing for the job.

Head coach Sean Payton is impressed with the trio of candidates after all of them played the first preseason tilt ending in a narrow 34-30 victory against the Indianapolis Colts and looks to the upcoming matches to inform a final decision on the Broncos QB1 spot.

Ex-NFL QB Super Bowl champion Chase Daniel, a veteran who was signed with 8 teams over a 12-year stint in the league, breaks down the snaps Bo Nix participated in on the field against the Colts.

While the rookie Nix from the University of Oregon looks to be a possible favorite against the more experienced post-draft additions Stidham and Wilson, the Broncos will send out their cast of quarterbacks against the Green Bay Packers in the next match where all three players compete to inspire confidence in head coach Sean Payton.

10 things to watch for in Broncos’ preseason game vs. Packers

The Broncos are set to host the Packers in their Week 2 of NFL preseason. Here are ten things to watch for on Sunday night.

After defeating the Indianapolis Colts 34-30 in their preseason opener last week, the Denver Broncos are now set to host the Green Bay Packers in Week 2 of preseason on Sunday night.

Before the nationally televised showdown with the Packers arrives, here’s a quick list of 10 things we’ll be watching for against Green Bay.

1. Eyioma Uwazurike’s return: Uwazurike’s gambling suspension was lifted before the team’s preseason opener, but coach Sean Payton did not want to rush the defensive lineman back into action. After more than a year away from football, Uwazurike is now expected to make his return on Sunday.

2. Trenton Gill’s push for punting duties: Gill and incumbent Riley Dixon are competing for the punter job this summer. Dixon got the first two reps last week, and they ended up being the only reps. It’s a nice problem to have when the offense moves the ball so well that punters are rarely called upon, but the Broncos would like to get Gill some live-game reps this week.

3. Riley Moss stepping up at cornerback: Moss seems to be the favorite to start across from Pat Surtain this season. “[O]ne thing that he does exceptionally well is he phases the receivers well … his technique is good, he’s long and I’d say he has really good instincts,” Payton said earlier this week. Moss and Damarri Mathis are competing for the CB2 role.

4. Kris Abrams-Draine fighting for playing time: Abrams-Draine was one of the standout performers in Week 1 of preseason. We’ll see if that trend continues for the rookie cornerback in Week 2.

5. Samaje Perine stock watch: Perine had a game to forget last week and he might be in danger of not making the 53-man roster. He’ll need to finish preseason on a positive note to get back into the running back conversation.

6. Jonah Elliss competing for more playing time: Elliss is another rookie who impressed in the first week of preseason. “There’s some good tape with him,” Payton said of Elliss’ first game. Elliss will look to build on that positive performance.

7. Troy Franklin needs a bounce-back game: Franklin was invisible in the team’s preseason opener with one target and no catches. Franklin has also had a few drops at training camp this summer and his stock is low going into the Packers game. He needs a bounce-back performance.

8. Offensive line looking for another no-sack performance: Denver’s quarterbacks did not take any sacks last week. That reflects well on the team’s offensive line, the quarterbacks and the scheme. We can’t expect no-sack performances every week, but it will be interesting to see if last week’s protection carries over to the Green Bay game.

9. Jarrett Stidham vs. Zach Wilson: Stidham will get more reps this week after playing just two drives last week. Wilson will get clean-up duties again after performing well in Indianapolis. “I thought he had a real good game and I’m encouraged,” Payton said of Wilson. “I like what I’m seeing.” If Nix does win the starting job as expected, Stidham and Wilson will be competing for QB2 duties to close out preseason.

10. Bo Nix’s first (preseason) start in the NFL: Nix looked sharp in his debut last week, but it wasn’t a perfect performance. “There’s two plays where I think he can set his feet,” Payton said. “He’s kind of backing up a little and we can clean that up.” We’ll be watching to see if Nix has better footwork against the Packers.

Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on NFL Network and available to stream on fuboTV (try it free). Secondary market tickets for Denver’s preseason home opener start at $52. Next week, the Broncos will close out preseason at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

Denver is ultimately preparing for a regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks, a road game on Sunday, Sept. 8 in Week 1.

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