Player: RB Cordarrelle Patterson
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: It’s hard to envision Cordarrelle Patterson on the Steelers’ 53-man roster in 2025, given their pre-draft interest in running backs. With Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell already under contract, a rookie makes three. And some reporters believe they will add another veteran after the draft, which would likely leave Patterson without a job.
Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t seem to enjoy his first season with the Steelers all too much, and perhaps the feeling will prove to be mutual. Some may argue that it’s surprising he remains under contract, but he may be a placeholder at this point. He is the Steelers’ third running back, for now, but they are bound to draft another back.
Patterson offered brief flashes as a runner in 2024, and did have one nice touchdown catch. On the season, he rushed for 135 yards and 32 attempts, with a success rate under 44 percent. But he only scored once, and fumbled once, with few broken tackles.
More egregiously, Cordarrelle Patterson was an abject failure at his primary job. The Steelers signed him to be their primary kick returner, boasting a Hall of Fame-worthy career in that capacity. For the Steelers, however, he averaged just 21.8 yards per return, the worst mark of his career. And he never came close to adding to his record-setting nine kick-return touchdowns, 33 yards being his longest.
The Steelers are set to pay Patterson nearly $3 million, principally for a job for which he seems no longer equipped. Even he concedes some ground here, expressing disappointment in the league’s continuation of recent rule changes. Those changes are what prompted the Steelers to sign him, hoping he would give them an edge during the transition. After the season, HC Mike Tomlin suggested their struggles in the kick return game were due to a lack of familiarity.
Meanwhile, the Steelers brought in nine running backs for pre-draft visits. They have also looked at quite a few skill-position players who have return abilities. While Patterson remains on the roster, he may not last much longer past the draft.
With the new league year underway and the Steelers turning their roster over, it’s once again time to “take stock”. It took a while, but we finally saw some of that change the team talked about after the season ended. Certainly, the move to trade for WR DK Metcalf qualifies as a change, not to mention the accompanying contract.
There is still a long way to go before we know what this Steelers team is going to look like. Once the dust settles on free agency, we turn our attention to the draft, and so on. What other moves might the team make, perhaps unexpected acquisitions or departures? If they traded for one player, they could certainly trade for another, or trade one away. This is a Steelers team starving for postseason success, but how desperate are they for a playoff win in 2025?
