The dust is beginning to settle when it comes to team’s rosters in the NFL, and while some moves will still be made, there is no dedicated time like with the opening of free agency or the draft where the Steelers will continue to add to their team. Until training camp begins later in the summer, there may be little movement in the NFL. Therefore, now is the time when previous moves teams have made are judged and put under a microscope.
NFL.com kicked this period of the offseason off with a bang for Steelers fans. Gennaro Filice wrote an article detailing the bandwagons in the NFL that people should be hopping on, and it included both offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and kick-return specialist Cordarrelle Patterson. Hopping a bandwagon tends to imply that a player, coach, or team is on an upward trajectory, and that would be fair to say for both Smith and Patterson, albeit for very different reasons.
After spending the past three years as the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach, Smith’s stock in the league is at an all-time low. Seen as a great play caller when he was the Tennessee Titans’ offensive coordinator, Smith had little success in creating a top offense in Atlanta. However, it isn’t uncommon for good offensive coordinators to struggle as head coaches, as their responsibilities grow much larger and the transition can be tough. Now, Smith is back in the same role he saw success in while part of the Titans, so perhaps he can work that kind of magic again with the Steelers.
On the other hand, Patterson, while not coming off his best season, isn’t on an upward swing because he’s played poorly recently. Rather, the NFL has decided to implement new kickoff rules this season that should benefit returners. Patterson is the all-time leader in kick return touchdowns, so while he is beginning to come into the twilight of his career, these new rules may inject a little extra juice into him.
Just as well, as the Steelers have lacked consistency at the kick return position. Excluding Ray-Ray McCloud, they haven’t had a player return kicks for back-to-back years since Rod Woodson. If these new rules provide enough of a boost, perhaps Patterson will stick around for another season. Patterson was with Smith in Atlanta, and considering the Steelers are seemingly interested in providing Smith with weapons on offense that he is familiar with, the odds are higher than not that Patterson sticks around as long as Smith and the team want him.
Both Smith and Patterson could see their careers revived with the Steelers, so maybe it is time for fans to jump on their respective bandwagons. However, fans haven’t even seen Smith’s offense with the Steelers in practice yet, so it might be good to temper expectations for now. There are so many new pieces on the Steelers’ offense that an adjustment period will probably be necessary for everyone involved. There will probably be times where fans hate and love both Smith and Patterson, but everyone should just be thankful they aren’t Matt Canada or Dri Archer.
