Report: Saints, Broncos Discussed WR Trade

By: Ross Jackson

NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos discussed a trade that would have sent receiver Tim Patrick to New Orleans, according to a report from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

Teams will often search for possible trades at preseason roster cuts. A trade in that environment tends to be a win-win for both teams. The team that would otherwise be releasing the player gets a draft pick or other trade asset back in return. Meanwhile, the acquiring team gets to ensure their acquisition rather than hoping they have the appropriate waiver priority or that the veteran player does not decide to sign elsewhere.

The New Orleans Saints were one of the teams to take advantage of this, trading for defensive tackle John Ridgeway III for a late-round pick swap. However, that is not the only deal that Saints were apparently in on. 

Before he was cut, Patrick was reportedly the subject of trade talks between the Saints and Broncos. The two teams were engaged in talks involving Patrick but could not come to terms on compensation. That led to the Utah alum heading to the open market and ultimately landingon Detroit’s parctice squad.

It has been no mystery that the Saints are closely watching their wide receiver room. The team hosted a slew of veterans and young wideouts ahead of their Week 1 practices and this news purports that they were actively in the trade market at the position as well. 

Although the Saints did not land Patrick, it is interesting to explore why they were interested in him. It could have been the Broncos calling up old friends to try to get something for a valuable asset at a premium position rather than New Orleans reaching out to inquire. But that information is not yet available. Regardless of how the talks began, it sounds like both teams were at least invested in reaching a deal. 

Patrick had two strong seasons in 2020 and 2021. He caught over 50 passes for more than 730 receiving yards in each. He added 11 receiving touchdowns over those two seasons as well. The 6-foot-4 and 200-pound receiver is a sure-handed pass catcher reeling in over 60% of his career targets. 

His history indicates the team was possibly invested in adding a possession wideout that could be a quintessential X-receiver. From 2019 through 2021, Patrick lined up out wide for 1,397 snaps. Compare that to 406 in the slot and it is easy to see where Patrick would contribute with the Saints.

New Orleans just saw one of its rostered wide receivers, A.T. Perry, miss practice on Thursday due to a hand injury. It remains to be seen if that will jeopardize any playing time for the second-year wideout. But if it does, the Saints could revisit the former Broncos pass-catcher if they feel they need to. With Patrick on the Lions’ practice squad, he could be poached and added to an active roster by another NFL team. So if New Orleans was desperate to land him specifically, the door is not fully closed just yet.