Though it was the team’s worst-kept secret, and honestly probably nothing the team even tried to hide, Mike Tomlin admitted Monday that signing Cordarrelle Patterson was an immediate response to the new kickoff rule that dramatically shifts how the game’s inaugural play looks and functions.
During the team’s annual pre-draft presser, Tomlin said Patterson’s kick return resume was the reason why Pittsburgh signed him. But Tomlin also acknowledged there’s much to be learned about the rule change over the next season.
“I think we’re all speculating regarding what the impact of the new rule [is],” he said as carried by the team’s YouTube channel. “We could give you an answer, but it’s speculation. Obviously we’re making certain moves relative to its impact on the game. That’s why we went out and signed Patterson immediately, for example.”
The NFL officially passed the rule change during last month’s league meetings. Hours later, Pittsburgh and Patterson agreed on a two-year deal. The change will adopt the XFL model to kickoffs, squishing coverage and return teams five yards apart with two deep kick returners in the “landing zone.” Gone are the fair-catch touchbacks and expectations are kickoffs will be returned roughly 40 percent of the time in 2024 compared to about 20 percent in 2023.
Patterson is one of the greatest kick returners in NFL history. He holds the league record with nine kick return touchdowns while his 29.3-yard career average is third all-time trailing only Gale Sayers and former Steeler Lynn Chandnois. Though 33, Patterson is a capable return man and his signing makes him the team’s obvious lead option. The Steelers haven’t had a kick return touchdown since JuJu Smith-Schuster in the 2017 regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
“But I think we’re all in the process of figuring out the impact of that play on the game and decision-makings in terms of roster building and who gets a hat, late round selections, etc,” Tomlin said. “I think, think we’ll all have a better understanding of it 12 months from now.”
This is one of the league’s biggest rule changes in recent history. While the rule is well-intentioned, ostensibly reducing injuries and increasing action, the details are anyone’s guess. How many more returns will there be? It’s possible teams just boot through the end zone and concede the touchback, especially if kick returns become more potent. One issue is the “landing zone” that pits two return men on the goal line, meaning teams can more easily kick away from someone like Patterson and mute his impact.
Each team will have its own style and approach to kickoffs, and it’ll take trial and error to work out the details. But the Steelers made a smart move in adding Patterson, giving them a head start on adjusting to however this new-look play functions.
