Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Denver Broncos receiver Tim Patrick came up with the NFL’s biggest play this week.
The Broncos, who hadn't had the lead all game, were down 19-17 to the Oakland Raiders with 18 seconds left to play. With the ball and no timeouts remaining, Patrick was on the receiving end of a short pass that he turned up field for a 26-yard gain. He was able to get out of bounds with 10 seconds left, setting up a game-winning 36-yard field goal.
“First thing I thought when I got the ball was get out of bounds” Patrick explained in an interview with denverbroncos.com’s Matt Boyer. “I got three plays and that was one of my plays. They preach here always stay ready and that’s what I did.”
Just a couple of months ago, not a lot of people believed Patrick would ever get a single play in the NFL. After an impressive but injury-ridden time at Utah, Patrick went undrafted in the 2017 NFL draft.
Shortly after the draft, the Baltimore Ravens signed Patrick, only to release him two months later at the end of July 2017. He then had a two-month stint with the San Francisco 49ers, but they released him as well. But in October 2017, the Broncos signed him to their practice squad.
His moment to prove himself finally came, to the surprise of many, when he made the Broncos 53-man roster in 2018. He made the most of his moment on Sunday and helped Denver get their second win along the way.
Although not highly recruited and playing through injuries and getting cut by other NFL teams, Patrick adopted and lived what the Broncos preached, to "stay ready.”
Patrick was born in San Diego, California and grew up in a single-parent home. He attended University City High School in San Diego where he was named the team MVP his senior year for his 27 catches, 578 yards and six touchdowns. He also played basketball and averaged 13.1 points and 8.1 rebounds.
After a two-year stint in junior college, Utah offered him. He was only rated as a two-star recruit, but Utah saw his potential. Joining Utah in 2014, Patrick played in nine games before an awful leg injury sidelined him for the rest of the season and all the 2015 season.
Patrick made his mark when he was able to get back on the field in 2016, where he led Utah in receptions with 45, 711 yards and five receiving touchdowns. His biggest play at Utah was a game-winning touchdown catch against USC in 2016 with only 16 seconds remaining. The Utes would go on to beat the Trojans.
