If you've been out to Lions training camp, you've probably seen and heard signs of frustration from Tim Patrick. He yelled at himself Monday morning when he failed to come down with a single pass from Jared Goff during 1-on-1's in the red zone, twice getting locked up by Terrion Arnold on back-corner fades. (Arnold, by the way, is having a terrific camp.) Patrick expected more out of himself from the jump this summer after his first healthy offseason in three years.
"I put a lot of work in, and I’m mad that it’s not showing right now," he said after Monday's practice. "But it will."
Patrick spent the 2023 offseason rehabbing a torn ACL, the 2024 offseason rehabbing a torn Achilles and now he finds himself in "one of the hardest training camps I've been around." He admits his play has been "slacking a little bit," despite his body feeling great, partly because the way the Lions conduct camp is "just not something I was accustomed to in my years of playing."
"So it’s just something I gotta pick up on," he said. "Just new. That’s it."
The Lions went long on Monday in heavy 90-degree heat. Afterward, Patrick hit the JUGS machine for extra work. He's slated to be the team's No. 3 wide receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the role he filled seamlessly last year after signing with Detroit in late August following his release from the Broncos. Patrick was the final piece of an offense that led the NFL in scoring and also brings back Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery and Sam LaPorta.
Patrick said his decision to return on a one-year, $2.5 million deal was an obvious one: "Jared Goff. St. Brown, Jamo. My job is going to be easy. I just gotta beat the No. what, 4 cornerback? I should win that every single time."
He's yet to win many matchups in camp. During 11-on-11's near the goal line toward the end of Monday's practice, Patrick was blanketed by Brian Branch on a throw from Goff that never had a chance. (Branch is also having a terrific camp, by the way -- and is very much not a No. 4 cornerback.) Patrick feels much better than he's looked so far, which is "why I’m frustrated that it’s not showing right now, because in OTA’s it did," he said.
"Training camp is a little different," he said. "I just gotta pick this sh*t up."
Patrick did shake loose for a touchdown in the same red-zone period when the defense lost track of him coming across the end zone and Goff hit him for an easy 6. He's also taken his fair share of reps with the second-team offense as the Lions try to get him going. He remains an important piece to the puzzle as a big-bodied receiver who can serve as a safety valve and a red-zone target for Goff.
In 16 games last season, Patrick caught 33 of 44 targets for 394 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came in the Lions' dramatic Week 14 win over the Packers. Similar production this season is the expectation. A slow start to a demanding camp doesn't change that.
"It’s taken me a minute. No excuses. Like I said, it’s my first camp with the team. Obviously I was here last year, but camp is where you really find who you have, you bond with your teammates, you go to war with them every day, because camp is hard. This is my first time going through a camp like this," said Patrick. "Yeah, starting off a little slow, but I promise you by the time the season comes I’m gonna be firing on all cylinders."