Will Cordarrelle Patterson be the next return man to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame?
Devin Hester became the first return man in NFL history to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. During his induction speech, he made sure to point out that he is the first—but not the last. Is the next one to earn enshrinement on the Steelers’ roster in the form of Cordarrelle Patterson?
Let’s start by looking at some numbers. According to Pro Football Reference, Devin Hester has the eighth-most return yards in NFL history with 11,028. By far, the all-time leader is Brian Mitchell, with 19,013, who returned both kicks and punts for 14 years. Cordarrelle Patterson ranks 20th on the all-time return yardage list and ninth on the kick return yardage list.
But to his advantage, Patterson also holds the NFL record for kick return touchdowns with nine—Mitchell had four. Tied for second all-time are Joshua Cribbs and Leon Washington, who will also be in consideration for this discussion.
But the difference between them is Patterson is still playing. Not only does he own the record for kick return touchdowns, but he is also the modern average champion. For his career, he averaged 29.3 yards per return, which is the third-best ever. The only two with a better average are truly NFL royalty: Gayle Sayers (30.6, 1965-1971) and Lynn Chandnois (29.6, 1950-1956).
Already in his 12th season, it’s fair to point out for Cordarrelle Patterson that he plays in a fading age for the kickoff. Despite his longevity, he only has the 17th-most kick returns. Mitchell, in comparison, only played three more years but returned more than twice the amount of kicks: an astonishing 607.
Patterson is the only active player who is anywhere on any of these lists in a notable position. The next-leading active player in kick return yardage doesn’t have half of his. He is in a company of his own in today’s NFL. But will he one day be company to Devin Hester in the Hall of Fame? That likely depends on how much he can add to his resume as a Steeler.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is approaching, following another disappointing year that culminated in a first-round playoff loss. The only change-up in the annual formula lately is whether they exit early or miss the playoffs altogether. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? How will the team continue to address the depth chart?
The Steelers are in training camp and the preseason and the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
