When the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Indianapolis Colts, they will still have a one-two punch at running back, but slightly different than the one they are used to. Jaylen Warren was ruled out with a knee injury, so Cordarrelle Patterson figures to play a larger role on offense.
Initially brought in to be a kick return specialist, the new kick return rule hasn’t played out how many were hoping. Most NFL teams are opting to forgo the new rule and kick the ball through the back of the end zone for a 30-yard touchback. Patterson told the media on Friday that he “wouldn’t kick it to me, either.” Fortunately, his two-year, $6 million deal isn’t all for naught. He is plenty capable in multiple areas of the offense.
“As CP [Cordarrelle Patterson] tells me just about every day, he’s a thoroughbred. I can use him wherever I need him,” Tomlin said via The Mike Tomlin Show on the Steelers’ website in an interview with Bob Pompeani. “He plays wideout, he plays running back, he returns kicks. He played gunner in Denver. He is a multi-talented guy and probably equally impressive as that, he is a big time competitor. He loves it, and so we’re glad to have him.”
Initially entering the league as a first-round wide receiver all the way back in 2013, Patterson never quite took off as a wide receiver. But he did excel as a kick returner and developed into one of the best to ever do it, with nine career return touchdowns. It wasn’t until he started playing with Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 that he became more of a running back.
His usage on offense trailed off in 2023 with Bijan Robinson landing in Atlanta, but he has already shown to be quite capable for the Steelers in limited action.
He has 10 carries for 49 yards and three receptions for 15 yards through three games. As Tomlin mentioned, he also filled in as a gunner on the punt coverage unit against the Denver Broncos. As we all saw in the preseason on his long touchdown run against the Detroit Lions, he still has quite a bit of burst.
Najee Harris echoed a sentiment similar to Tomlin earlier this week, calling Patterson a future Hall of Famer and saying that he works in any offense.
