Earlier this season, the Atlanta Falcons designated their do-it-all weapon Cordarelle Patterson as a “joker” on their depth chart. Pittsburgh Steelers CB Patrick Peterson, who logged 18 snaps at safety along with 15 snaps in the slot in Pittsburgh’s Week Nine win over the Tennessee Titans, thinks he belongs in the same category.
“I think I’m still a corner. I’m the joker in the deck of cards, the two jokers. I’m one of the jokers,” Peterson told reporters, including Chris Adamski of TribLive.
In most card games, the jokers are cards that can be played as wild cards or replicate existing cards. Their multi-function purpose is what led Atlanta to classify Patterson as a joker earlier this season, and Peterson obviously has taken note of his increasing versatility and thinks he fits in that bill, as well.
With S Minkah Fitzpatrick out against the Titans, Peterson got his most snaps of the season at safety. That’s something that could continue this weekend against the Green Bay Packers with Fitzpatrick’s status currently in doubt. Peterson also has gotten more consistent reps as the team’s slot corner in recent weeks, with 54 of his 109 slot reps coming in the last three weeks. With the emergence of rookie Joey Porter Jr. on the outside, Peterson can move inside, where the Steelers were relying on Chandon Sullivan early in the season.
Peterson is a better option in the slot than Sullivan though, and it makes the Steelers’ cornerback room better and also deeper with the 13th-year veteran in the slot. As his physical tools decline with age, moving Peterson around in areas where his football IQ can shine is good for the Steelers, and with how well Porter has played outside, the defense has simply been better with him getting more consistent reps.
We’ll see if Peterson continues to see safety snaps when Fitzpatrick eventually returns, as with Fitzpatrick in the fold, the most amount of reps Peterson got while lined up as a safety was three in Week Seven. But the fact that he’s versatile enough and capable enough of moving around, something that he said was always the plan for him when he signed with Pittsburgh this offseason, gives the defense a lot more options. Maybe if it keeps up, the Steelers will create a new spot on the depth chart for their versatile veteran defensive back.
