Sports can be incredibly cruel. Tim Patrick became the latest example of this fact Tuesday.
The Broncos receiver suffered a torn ACL in Tuesday's practice and will miss the 2022 season, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's James Palmer reported.
Patrick made an acrobatic catch during a session and came down awkwardly, suffering the injury and needing a cart to take him off the field, according to multiple on-site reports.
Patrick underwent an MRI afterward, and it was revealed his 2022 season was finished before it ever really began.
Running back Damarea Crockett also suffered a torn ACL on Tuesday and will miss the season.
Patrick was poised to build upon what had already become an unexpected success story for the receiver who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and made his way to Denver via the Broncos' practice squad in 2017. Patrick quietly worked in the shadows, earning his first regular-season playing time in 2018 and breaking out in 2020 with 51 catches, 742 yards and six touchdowns.
He proved that season wasn't a fluke by posting nearly identical numbers in the following season, which was enough to convince Broncos general manager George Paton to sign the Utah product to a three-year, $34.5 million extension in November.
The 2022 season would have been Patrick's first under his new contract, which provided him with a significant pay raise and raised expectations for him from a pleasant surprise to a player Denver expected to contribute. Instead, he'll spend 2022 recovering and rehabilitating his knee with a focus on 2023.
