Cordarrelle Patterson is among the Steelers’ most vulnerable veterans to miss the 53-man roster this season due to personnel turnover. Including some 2024 free-agent signings, veteran players lose jobs to the incoming class every year. The Steelers could see some pretty significant roster turnover in 2025, and in fact, they have already started.
After the efforts of last season, the Steelers will be examining their roster closely in August. Frankly, if there is a tie between a returning veteran and a new player, the new one may well win. Especially in certain areas of the roster, like the defensive line, they want to try something different.
Cordarrelle Patterson
While they have already released some veterans, I think Cordarrelle Patterson is at the greatest risk of not making the Steelers’ 53-man roster in 2025. Many are surprised that he has even lasted this long on their offseason roster. After failing as their kick returner last year, they have also moved on from him in the backfield.
During the 2024 season, Patterson served as the Steelers’ third running back in addition to returning kicks. This year, they have Jaylen Warren and have added Kenneth Gainwell and rookie Kaleb Johnson. The departure of Najee Harris leaves a lot of snaps to distribute. But that doesn’t mean Patterson will still have a spot on the Steelers’ roster.
Last season, Cordarrelle Patterson rushed for 135 yards, added 80 receiving, and averaged 21.8 yards on kick returns. While he actually looked quick and spry on a few carries early in the season, he looked like he lost a step or two otherwise. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers not keeping either Gainwell or Johnson, though, so where does Patterson fit?
If the Steelers don’t keep a fourth tight end or a fullback on their roster, they could squeeze him in. But they are also likely to keep more wide receivers than they did last season as well. And while Patterson may have been a receiver in a former life, he certainly isn’t now.
The Steelers signed Cordarrelle Patterson last year hoping to steal an edge with the NFL’s new kick-return rules. They ended up being arguably the worst team at it in the entire league, and Patterson wasn’t a fan of the changes. Unfortunately for him, they’re not going back to the old rules, so what is next for him?
Patterson is now 34 years old and has had, on the whole, a solid career. But the Steelers don’t need to keep a place for him on their 53-man roster. While releasing him would open a hole at kick returner, they arguably already had one with him.
