On the first day after Tim Patrick was lost for the season to a torn left Achilles tendon, the first player who got a chance to replace him in practice has some background similarities.
That’s Brandon Johnson who, like Patrick, was an unheralded, undrafted free agent.
Patrick in 2017 didn’t hear his name called out of Utah and bounced around in training camps before landing with the Broncos.
He spent his first year on and off Denver’s practice squad before carving out a role for himself on special teams and in the receiving rotation in his second season.
Johnson impressed during training camp a year ago as an undrafted free agent out of Central Florida and likely would have made the initial 53-man roster had he not sustained a high-ankle sprain in Denver’s preseason finale. He was waived, then brought back later in the season. Johnson appeared in seven games (one start) and caught six balls.
Now he’s turning heads again in training camp and appears to be in the mix to step into the large void Patrick’s leaving behind.
“He’s had some big plays,” Payton said Tuesday. “He’s getting more work with the No. 1s now. He can run. All of them, especially on offense, are learning new terminology but he’s picking it up, he’s getting it and he’s flashed.
“He’s made some plays and then he’ll line up two yards too wide and we’ve got to get it corrected. But we’re at that point where we keep talking about eliminating the repeated mistakes. Make the correction and let’s make sure we don’t need to make it again.”
There’s work to be done, then. Johnson (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) nonetheless would be well within his right to feel more confident in what he’s doing in Year 2. He’s not taking even that for granted.
“It’s exactly the same,” Johnson told The Post on Tuesday. “It’s like a re-audition, I guess you could say. The old staff I came in with, they’re gone, so it’s the same mindset I had last year. Just trying to make a name for myself and prove my value to the coaches and trying to prove my value to my teammates.”
Payton has said repeatedly that Denver’s offensive players have a much bigger learning curve than their defensive counterparts because his system is mostly new, while Vance Joseph’s defense has more crossover to what the Broncos did a year ago.
Johnson knows part of the way he can boost his stock is to show he can play multiple receiver spots in Payton’s offense.
Asked what he likes about playing in the slot, Johnson smiled and said, “I like football. So inside, outside, I’m not biased.”
“It hasn’t been easy,” he added. “But I feel like that’s like any other playbook that you’re trying to grasp. It does bring more value to you if you can play multiple positions. That’s the approach I’m taking.
“It’s nothing too crazy, but you have to put in the time, put in the work, put in the effort.”
The Broncos have a bunch of options to work through at receiver. Johnson spent four years at Tennessee with former New Orleans wide receiver Marquez Callaway. There’s Lil’Jordan Humphrey and rookie Marvin Mims, Jr., Kendall Hinton and fellow second-year players Montrell Washington and Jalen Virgil.
“It’s a great opportunity, just like last year,” Johnson said. “You’ve always got a great opportunity just being here. I’m trying to take advantage of every rep I get. Continuing to learn the playbook, continuing to be up on my assignments, continuing to get into better shape.”
He’s doing that in a room thinned out by Denver’s decision to waive KJ Hamler and, of course, Patrick’s injury, which hit the receivers room particularly hard.
“Super hard to watch, man,” he said of the Monday non-contact injury that occurred during a 7-on-7 period. “Praying for Tim, love Tim. I’ve learned so much from Tim from last year to this year. I’ve seen how hard he works. He was in here every day. He’s been here every day grinding and trying to get back to where he was.
“You just hate to see it happen.”
The reality is injuries also create opportunity. It just so happens Patrick’s might open the door for another former undrafted free agent trying to make his NFL mark.
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