After dressing just four wide receivers on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, seeing veteran Cordarrelle Patterson playing some wide receiver snaps in place of the injured Van Jefferson was certainly eye-opening, as Patterson was going back to his roots as a receiver in a pinch.
But to hear head coach Mike Tomlin talk Tuesday, that was all part of the plan with Patterson against the Chargers.
Speaking with reporters Tuesday during his weekly press conference, Tomlin spoke highly of Patterson, stating that his versatility offensively speaks to his talents, and that the Steelers will continue to utilize that versatility and flexibility in an effort to make them more difficult to defend moving forward.
“It is unique, but it’s something that we covet all the time,” Tomlin said of that versatility Patterson brings to the table. “I got a lot of respect for CP [Patterson] and his talents. We had intended to utilize him in both [running back and wide receiver]. It wasn’t a reactionary plan. We only went into the game with four receivers because we had a plan for him to play both positions in game and that just speaks to his talents, but not only his talents, but his football intellect to be able to carry a menu like that.”
Against the Chargers, Patterson had four carries for 33 yards out of the backfield, all of which came on the Steelers’ final drive that salted the game away. Patterson saw that playing time at running back due to the injury to Jaylen Warren, opening up the door of opportunity for the veteran.
Along with his four carries, Patterson added three catches for 15 yards, playing 19 snaps as a receiver in the win over the Chargers (11 out wide, eight in the slot) and four other snaps in the backfield.
Last year in Atlanta, Patterson logged 85 snaps in the backfield and 86 snaps at receiver. He had another six snaps inline, too, showing off his versatility. That’s been a calling card for him later in his career during stops in Chicago and Atlanta. New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith knows Patterson’s strengths as that versatile piece well, too, and could tap into that a bit more in an effort to make the Steelers more difficult to defend.
Outside of three snaps in Week 1 against the Falcons, the 19 snaps at receiver were the first time Patterson had hit the field offensively for Pittsburgh anywhere but running back.
With some questions at the receiver position still remaining for the Steelers, it’ll be interesting to see if Patterson’s usage like against the Chargers continues.
