He came in like a wrecking ball, unleashing his skills in a way that few in his situation ever have before. He brought the biggest spark to an offense that desperately needed it, and in the process racked up career highs in both receiving and rushing yards, establishing himself as a versatile offensive leader. In the process, he became a true "wide back," ready to take his next team to the next level. I'm talking, of course, about Atlanta Falcons wide receiver/running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
Patterson, a 9-year veteran, was mostly known in his career as an electric return man that could step into a role position as wide receiver when needed. In a 2017 video by Jon Bois that analyzes the risk, strategy, and efficacy of kickoff returns, Patterson is directly mentioned by Bois, who says,
"This is a sample of the 30 kick return touchdowns between the 2013-2016 seasons. I studied the tape and I traced the route of the return man each play. Originally, I wanted to see whether I could identify some kind of trend, some trick that made a return more successful. But honestly, the only advice I can give is to be Cordarrelle Patterson."
And that advice has held true throughout Patterson's career. He's made All-Pro in his career *six* times as a kick returner, including a three-season streak from 2018-2020. He's definitely not cooked. The fact that he didn't repeat as an All-Pro last year only because he was too busy turning into a "lite" version of Deebo Samuel makes him all the more interesting.
We've seen that Kyle Shanahan can run an offense with tremendous efficiency when he has positional versatility to work with. Jauan Jennings is turning into an upgraded version of Kendrick Bourne, pairing a ridiculous first-down conversion rate with tremendous blocking on the outside. Deebo Samuel has become a true dual threat, capable of gouging defenses on the ground qwhile maintaining one of the league's best "Yards Per Route Run" figures. And George Kittle lurks in between, already the league's best all-around tight end with his punishing blocking and all-world skill at the catch point. When you add Cordarrelle Patterson to the mix?
As a man wiser than I once said, "Your chances of winning drastic go down!"
That all of this is said without referencing Patterson's durability should make 49ers fans very excited. Patterson missed a game in 2018 and one in 2021. That's it. Two games in nine seasons. Featuring him as a wide back specialist will certainly increase the risk of injury, especially as someone on the wrong side of 30, but that's an injury history that's hard to argue with. As a team with a running back room has been consistently ravaged by injury and a receiving corps that's undoubtedly top-heavy, Patterson makes sense as a flexible and reliable backup.
Picture this. Patterson camps under a kickoff in the end zone, hauling it in and taking it out to the 33 yard line. The first offensive play, Samuel and Aiyuk split out wide. Kittle moves into the slot next to Jennings, with Patterson in the backfield. Samuel begins running across the field, telegraphing one of his famous end-arounds, and the opposing linebackers start barking and shifting. The ball is snapped, and the 49ers' offensive line flows towards Samuel's motion, dragging the defense with it. But Lance fakes the toss, snapping back and zipping it to Patterson, who turns on the gas and eats up 15 yards of open space before an opposing corner can force him out of bounds. When you have Samuel, Kittle, and Aiyuk on the perimeter, how much time and space can you really spare Patterson? And how sure can you be that it's not going to bite you when Kittle runs a dagger concept through the middle of your defense?
The advantages that Patterson can provide an innovative offensive mind like Kyle Shanahan should be well worth the free agency contract that eventually gets handed out to him. As a player who provides variety and reliability out of the backfield, on the perimeter, and on a sorely needing kickoff return unit, Cordarrelle Patterson might just be the piece San Francisco needs to be the envy of the entire league.
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