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ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Detroit Lions signed veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick to the practice squad on August 27.
The Detroit Lions added an experienced wide receiver to their practice squad on August 27.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Lions have signed veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick, who the Denver Broncos released as part of their roster cuts before the Aug. 27 deadline.
“A new home: Former Broncos WR Tim Patrick is expected to sign with the Detroit Lions’ practice squad with the intention of working his way up to the active roster, sources said.” wrote Schefter on X.
Patrick, who began his career in 2018, has recorded 143 catches for 2,009 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 53 NFL games.
Lions fans and NFL experts were excited about Patrick’s signing immediately after Schefter announced the news of the signing.
“Call me crazy, but I bet he’ll make an impact at some point this season,” wrote Brad Evans of Bet MGM Tonight on X.
“Jamo, Amon Ra, LaPorta, Gibbs, Montgomery, Lif… Now Tim Patrick,” JayDay wrote. “Come on, man.”
“A healthy Tim Patrick is better than Josh Reynolds,” wrote Rodrigo Machado.
Lions sign WR Tim Patrick for the practice squad
With Patrick, the Lions strengthen their practice squad with a wide receiver who has more receiving yards in his career than any other pass catcher on the Detroit roster, with the exception of Amon-Ra St. Brown and Kalif Raymond.
Patrick began his career as an undrafted free agent in 2017. After spending the beginning of his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, Patrick was signed to the Broncos’ practice squad.
He made his NFL regular season debut in 2018. Two years later, Patrick became a regular for the Broncos with 51 catches, 742 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns in 2020.
Patrick again reached over 700 receiving yards in 2021.
However, there is a reason why the Broncos released him on roster cut day. Patrick has not played in the last two seasons. In August 2022, he tore an ACL. Then in July of last year, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon.
Patrick has potential, but his injury history over the last two years has caused concern for some Lions fans.
“Tim Patrick hasn’t played in a regular season game in almost 3 years,” Joseph wrote on X. “He just tore his ACL and is now in his 30s. Why are we celebrating?”
Lions release wide receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain
As part of the roster cuts before the August 27 deadline, the Lions are parting ways with the two experienced receivers Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain.
With these departures, the Lions are missing a tall receiver on their initial 53-man roster. At 6’1″, Jameson Williams is the tallest wide receiver on the Lions’ roster.
This is another reason for Lions fans to be excited to see what Patrick can bring to Detroit. Patrick is 6’4″ and weighs 215 pounds.
Although he will have to earn his playing time, the Lions appear to be more comfortable with Patrick, a receiver who hasn’t played in three years, as the team’s big receiver than with Peoples-Jones or Fountain.
“DPJ and Fountain are big guys, they’re long and can run pretty well for their size… you wish that would come out a lot more often,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters before the team released them on Aug. 26, via Kory E. Woods of MLive.com.
The Lions acquired Peoples-Jones from the Cleveland Browns at the 2023 trade deadline. However, he had only 5 catches for 48 yards in eight games last season.
Fountain has caught two passes for 23 yards in his NFL career.
David Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Holcomb is originally from Pittsburgh and has covered college and professional sports for media outlets such as FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb
