Buy Or Sell: Cordarrelle Patterson will score a kick return touchdown this season.
Explanation: The Steelers agreed to terms with former All-Pro kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson in the hours after the league adopted a new kick return rule that encourages more returns. Patterson has the most kick return touchdowns in NFL history, but only has one in the past three years.
Buy:
Cordarrelle Patterson has played in the NFL for 11 seasons, and he’s scored at least one kick return touchdown in seven of them. He’s only failed to score on a return in four years, including two of the last three, when opportunities plummeted.
With the NFL actively wanting to increase the rate of returns dramatically, we should see more touchdowns, however. And who better to score one than Cordarrelle Patterson, the man who has more than anybody else in NFL history? With nine in his career, he is a proven commodity. The biggest problem has been a lack of opportunity, limited to just 16 returns the past two years. And he still managed to score on one of them.
On top of that, the Steelers are clearly prioritizing special teams this offseason. Not just with Patterson but also Cameron Johnston and re-signing Miles Killebrew, they’re investing in this phase. They’re bringing Patterson in because they want to get him into the end zone. Hey, if the offense won’t score, somewhat has to.
Sell:
Albeit on a small sample size, Cordarrelle Patterson averaged just 21.9 yards on seven kick returns last year. He’s a 33-year-old man now and doesn’t have the speed he did once upon a time. According to Pro Football Reference, only six players in NFL history have scored a kick return touchdown at 33-plus. Only three players have done it in the past 20 years, though as recently as 2021 in Andre Roberts. Roberts led the league in kickoff returns and return yardage that season.
But don’t expect lightning to strike twice. The Steelers haven’t had a kick return touchdown since 2017. We’ve been down this road with over-the-hill return men, besides, or do you forget Jacoby Jones and his stint here? Perhaps Patterson isn’t that far gone, but he’s more likely than not to stay out of the end zone.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they likely need a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
