Former BYU receiver Leslie, Utes' Patrick make most of chances with Broncos' preseason roster

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Jordan Leslie posted one sentence on Twitter just moments before the Denver Broncos’ preseason finale Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals.

"Play every game like it’s your last," he wrote, succinctly.

If Thursday was, indeed, Leslie’s final game in a Broncos uniform, he made the most of it.

Leslie hauled in all five of his targets for 70 yards and a touchdown as Denver pulled away from the Cardinals, 21-7, in the final game of the Broncos’ 2018 NFL preseason.

But more important than the win — it is the preseason, after all — was Leslie’s impact on the field.

"Any preseason game, if you can go out there and make plays, you are making plays for your team and for 31 other teams," Leslie told KSL.com after the game. "Everybody watches this film and sees who is playing well and who is making plays. It’s all about getting opportunities and making the most of your opportunities."

His second-year head coach agreed. Vance Joseph, who came to the Broncos after 12 years working as a defensive coordinator at Miami, Cincinnati, Houston and San Francisco, called Thursday night’s final preseason chance a "resume game" for younger players — both those who make the final 53-man roster and those who get a phone call this weekend announcing they’ve been waived.

"If you don’t make it here, you can make it somewhere else. It doesn't take but a couple of plays, just to put it on tape to show you can play in this league," Joseph said of Leslie.

"If they can’t play here, they can play somewhere else if they performed tonight — and he performed."

On a team with other former local college standouts like running back Devontae Booker and offensive tackle Garett Bolles — not to mention fellow receiver Tim Patrick — Thursday night’s preseason finale was Leslie’s finest performance of his short-tenured NFL career.

In his first season in the league, Leslie caught just one regular-season pass for Cleveland — albeit a stunning 26-yard grab for the woeful Browns.

His stint with the Broncos was far from a wild success prior to Thursday night. Leslie was a fifth-string wide receiver on the Broncos' official depth chart, having caught just four passes for 40 yards in three previous games.

He topped that output by the end of the second quarter.

"Everyone in this league is fighting to make a roster spot, and I’m honestly more excited about the tackle than I am the touchdown," said Leslie, who made the most of special-teams appearance by tackling rookie Corey Williams on a punt return. "Anything you can do to help the team, you’ve got to show in this game."

Leslie also helped the Broncos turn the tide against the Cardinals, albeit in a preseason game. After the Broncos went down 7-0, the former UTEP graduate transfer caught a 24-yard pass from backup quarterback Chad Kelly that set up Brandon McManus’ 27-yard field goal to pull Denver within four at halftime (7-3).

Then, on the first play of Paxton Lynch’s second series at quarterback, Leslie hauled in a six-yard catch to begin a drive that ended in his go-ahead 16-yard TD grab, 14-7, with 5:49 left in the quarter.

It’s a play he’s made over and over in practice — Leslie sees most of his reps with Lynch and Kelly, instead of starter Case Keenum — and he put it on film for all the world (or at least, the league) to see.

"I was joking with someone that the last time two ‘fourth-preseason games,’ I’ve scored a touchdown," said Leslie, a Houston native who endeared himself to BYU fans in one season. "I'm 2-for-2 right now.

"Pax threw a great ball, and I was lucky to get under it."

Chemistry, sometimes, is half the battle.

"This is a good locker room," Broncos cornerback Adam Jones said. "We’ve got a lot of funny guys around here. I’ve known a lot of these guys from playing with them and seeing them in the offseason. So, I can say I have jelled pretty good with the team."

Former Utah receiver Tim Patrick entered the Broncos’ third preseason game with a strong chance to survive the cut. Listed as the No. 3 wide receiver behind Emmanuel Sanders and Courtland Sutton, Patrick caught two passes for 18 yards in the first half for the Broncos.

"It was my first time to show that I could take a hit and still catch the ball," Patrick said. "There were a lot of other things I wanted to do tonight, but overall, I’m happy."

Teams have until Saturday at 2 p.m. MDT to submit their final 53-man roster to the league, with players hoping they don’t get a phone call from the front office.

A phone call means they’ve been cut. So Leslie and Patrick both said they’ll try to avoid the phone call; Patrick will try to enjoy Friday night’s Colorado-Colorado State collegiate rivalry game, while Leslie will spend the next 48 hours with family, trying to relax and not think about cuts.

"Of course, it's stressful. You just sit there and dread a phone call," Leslie added. "You think you did enough, but it can always been not enough. It’s always stressful."

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