Pride of Detroit
A look at the pros, cons, and projected cost of re-signing Tim Patrick for the Detroit Lions.
With the NFL offseason upon us and free agency just a smidge more than a month away, it’s time to look at the internal decisions the Detroit Lions are facing in the upcoming weeks. After signing 11 practice squad players to futures deals, and re-signing Morice Norris and Netane Muti, the Lions have a total of 34 players who are already free agents or set to become free agents. So over the next month, we’re going to profile each individual free agent and examine whether the Lions should bring that player back or not.
We begin the series with one of the Lions’ easier decisions.
The Lions spent all offseason desperate to find a replacement for Josh Reynolds, who had left for the Denver Broncos in free agency. Detroit more or less failed to do so in free agency, and by the time training camp ended, it was clear the likes of Donovan Peoples-Jones, Daurice Fountain, Maurice Alexander, and Isaiah Williams weren’t going to cut it.
So when Tim Patrick fell in their lap following Broncos roster cuts, it was clear he was immediately the front-runner to take Detroit’s starting WR-X role. Of course, like with any new wide receiver, there was expected to be a chemistry-building period between Jared Goff and Patrick. And with Patrick’s injury history (torn ACL in 2022, torn Achilles in 2023), there was certainly some concern he wouldn’t be as productive as he was in 2020 or 2021 (both 700+ yard seasons).
But he had a very strong reputation in Denver as a hard worker, good route runner with reliable hands, and a player who won’t hesitate to mix it up as a blocker.
In other words, there was some guarded optimism.
Regular season — 16 games (9 starts): 33 catches, 394 yards, 3 TDs — 641 snaps
Postseason — 1 game: 1 receptions 22 yards
PFF Offensive grade: 66.9 (66th of 110 WRs)
PFF Receiving grade: 66.0 (69th)
PFF Run Blocking grade: 63.6 (19th of 142)
After sitting out the season opener and only catching three balls for 20 yards in the next two games, Patrick quickly became a regular contributor for the Lions offense.
While Patrick’s production (33 catches, 394 yards, 3 TDs) was modest compared to that of Reynolds in 2023 (40 catches, 608 yards, 5 TDs), the expectation was never to replicate Reynolds’ contributions. With the emergence of Jameson Williams (354 yards in 2023 to 1,001 in 2024), the Lions just needed a pair of steady hands who could do his role and make plays when called upon—and Patrick was undeniably that. He caught 33 of his 44 targets and was not credited with a drop by PFF for just the second time in his career.
Most importantly, though, Patrick was a perfect match for the Lions’ philosophy of “No Block,...
