“It’s always been hard for me”

For Tim Patrick, a familiar routine of standing at the podium and fielding questions felt like uncharted water after two years in the shadows.

When asked how it felt to be back at training camp after back-to-back season-ending injuries, the Broncos wide receiver smiled as it took him a moment to collect his thoughts.

“I’m sorry. … It’s been good,” Patrick chuckled. “… I’m just trying to get back in the mode of doing this stuff.”

Around this time last year, Patrick pondered the possibility that his football career and duties of addressing reporters were over. He had worked tirelessly to recover from a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2022 season only to tear his Achilles tendon while trying to run a route during a 7-on-7 period last July.

“I thought from what you hear about (Achilles injuries), that my career was over,” he said.

The five hours after his painful scream echoed across the practice field were the lowest of his career, Patrick said. But when he spoke with doctors and his agent about the possibility of making a speedy recovery, his mindset flipped.

Initially, Patrick’s goal was to return before the end of the 2023 season. He was even seen running in the team’s indoor practice facility late in the year.

“Thank God I’m in the era where science has upgraded because some guys’ careers were over after this injury,” Patrick said.

The 2023 season came and went without Patrick returning to the field, but his dedication to rehab and getting his body right remained. The goal now is to prove he can still be a valuable asset in the NFL.

“Tim and I have been doing this now for seven years together,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said. “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.”

During Patrick’s rehab, the 30-year-old said he focused solely on his mental and physical recovery. He didn’t spend time learning the offense, so the past few months have been an adjustment period for him.

“There was something he did, and I said, ‘Does the ultrasound affect brain function?’” head coach Sean Payton joked. “He looked at me and wasn’t real happy.”

Patrick tries his best to avoid thinking about suffering another injury.

He said he has a routine that allows him to be in the right mental space during practice. Patrick didn’t get into the specifics of his routine, but he said it allows him to suppress the fear of getting injured whenever goes in and out of his breaks during individual drills or catches a pass during the team period.

“I play fast and physical,” Patrick said. “You can’t play that way if you are worried about something out there.”

Patrick’s journey has never been easy. At Utah, he missed 17 games in three seasons due to injuries. As an undrafted free agent in 2017, he was waived by the Ravens and 49ers before coming to Denver, where he eventually grew into a reliable offensive weapon, recording 700-plus receiving yards in 2020 and 2021.

Patrick’s career has had many ups and downs, but this summer could be his biggest challenge. Not only is he returning from two serious leg injuries, but his spot on the roster is not guaranteed.

During the offseason, Patrick restructured the final year of his deal. Now, he’s set to make the veteran minimum of $1.125 million instead of having a $9.5 million non-guaranteed base salary and a salary cap hit of $15.572 million.