Cordarrelle Patterson was one of the most interesting signings the Pittsburgh Steelers made in the offseason. The 33-year-old has experience as a running back and wide receiver, but most importantly for the Steelers, he’s an exceptional kick returner. The NFL announced a major change to the kickoff format back in March, and the Steelers wanted to be ahead of the curve by immediately signing the veteran returner.
It was assumed for a while that his role in the offense would be limited, especially with the tandem of Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren cemented in their roles ahead of him in the depth chart. However, the Steelers have shown their willingness to deploy in more areas than just special teams.
Brooke Pryor, ESPN’s Steelers beat reporter, joined The Kevin Karius Show on Friday, and she discussed Patterson’s utilization in the Steelers offense.
“I’ve been surprised at how much they have used him in the offense since he come back,” said Pryor. “He had a hamstring injury to start camp. Once he came off the non-football injury list — he hurt his hamstring while he was training in the offseason — they really worked him in the offense. He had a 20-yard touchdown against Detroit in that preseason game. I think we’ll see him in some goal-line work. He’s a big guy, and it’s hard to stop him. He’s also really versatile in the way that they can line him up as a running back. They’ll split him out wide. They’ll send him in motion. He just gives them that extra wrinkle that Arthur Smith really likes. He used Cordarrelle Patterson in a lot of different ways in Atlanta. I think we’ll see a lot more of that in Pittsburgh.”
Patterson’s got a full bag of tricks, and it’s clear that Arthur Smith wants to use all of them. In recent seasons, the Steelers offense has been criticized for its structural simplicity and predictability, leading to the team firing former offensive coordinator Matt Canada and turning to Arthur Smith to bring new life to the offense. Smith isn’t exactly known for his ground-breaking creativity in play calling, but he’s maximized Patterson’s versatile skillset better than any other coach in the league. His two best offensive seasons came with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 and 2022 when Smith was the head coach, including a season where he tallied 1,166 total yards and eleven touchdowns.
You might question whether Patterson still has the explosiveness to be a difference-maker on offense heading into his 12th season in the NFL. However, he showed that he can still break off big plays with his 31-yard touchdown run up the middle against the Detroit Lions in the Steelers’ final preseason game.
Just look at that cut he makes at the 20-yard line. The old man’s still got juice!
It’s particularly interesting that Pryor believes Patterson could see some goal-line opportunities in the regular season. Najee Harris has been the Steelers’ go-to goal-line back since the Steelers drafted him in 2021. He saw 23 touches inside the 5-yard line across the last two seasons, and Harris seems as powerful as ever between the tackles. Patterson does have a big 6’2, 220-pound frame, but he’s still twenty pounds lighter than Harris. Instead of opting to sub Harris out for Patterson inside the 5-yard line, I think it’s likely that the Steelers choose to put both backs on the field at times, perhaps using Patterson as a decoy or a potential option to receive a designed screen pass or reverse.
Who knows what plays Arthur Smith might dial up for Patterson, but Mike Tomlin’s stated that they’re going to get all the football that he has left in him this season. The Steelers have one of the most unique offensive players in the league, and if nothing else, he should make the offense a lot more fun to watch.
