Eight Denver Broncos players changed their jersey numbers on Monday and three new members of the practice squad were assigned numbers as well.
Among the changes: Broncos veteran cornerback Tremon Smith switched from No. 23 to No. 1 and rookie wide receiver Marvin Mims switched from No. 83 to No. 19. Perhaps one of the most notable changes flew under the radar, though.
Buy Broncos TicketsDenver receiver Tim Patrick, who is currently on injured reserve, also changed his number. Patrick switched from No. 81 — which he has worn since he joined the team in 2017 — to No. 12.
The number change won’t be noticed by fans this year because Patrick is set to miss the entire 2023 season on IR, and (at the time of this writing) no other players have switched to No. 81.
It’s an interesting decision from Patrick. He wore No. 12 while playing college football at Utah, but he wore No. 81 while catching 104 passes for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns from 2020-2021 with the Broncos.
Patrick missed all of last season with a torn ACL and he’s set to miss this season with a torn Achilles. Perhaps the number change was promoted by recent injuries while wearing No. 81.
Whatever the reason may be, Tim Patrick now wears No. 12.