If Pittsburgh Steelers running back Cordarrelle Patterson has been on the field for the team’s first three practices, he’s doing a great job of hiding. Not practicing and not in his No. 84 white offensive jersey, Mike Tomlin claims Patterson is dealing with a minor day-to-day injury. Beat writer Mark Kaboly thinks that is code for something else.
“They’re like, ‘Yeah, we’ll get him on the field a little bit,'” Kaboly said, referring to the team in an interview with 93.7 The Fan’s Austin Bechtold. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Something tells me that the Steelers’ view come late August that a team’s going be really hard-up for a kick returner. I’d be like, ‘Hey, we got the all-time best kick returner. You wanna trade? Give us a sixth-round pick.’ That’s what it sounds like to me.”
Kaboly, like myself, hasn’t spotted Patterson around the group during the first three days. It’s possible he’s hiding in plain sight given the vast number of coaches, assistants, scouts, and everyone else who litters Chuck Noll Field for each practice. But he was easy to spot a year ago after opening up on an injured list, working off to the side before being activated. Right now, the only place he seems to be is on the side of a milk carton.
With Patterson absent, the rest of the Steelers’ running backs have soaked up extra reps. Jaylen Warren remains the starter while rookie Kaleb Johnson has received plenty of reps as a runner and receiver, impressing with his burst and conditioning. Kenneth Gainwell is the new Patterson, a versatile runner, receiver, and returner, but with fresher legs and more speed. Evan Hull and Trey Sermon round out the group while versatile rookie Max Hurleman, who played receiver and running back in college, received his first backfield carry Saturday after spending the first two days exclusively at wideout.
Kaboly’s theory has some legs. Pittsburgh has no incentive to give reps to a 34-year-old Patterson, who is liable to get hurt. Clearly, the team didn’t build its offseason plans around involving him in the offense. But the suggestion he could be late-preseason trade bait also falls short. The market for an over-the-hill player who was statistically the least effective return man last season is non-existent. Patterson missing an entire summer will do nothing to increase his worth.
It begs the question of why Patterson has remained on roster all offseason. Perhaps the goal was to make sure the current group arrived at camp healthy and looked as-advertised early. So far, both boxes are checked. Which makes holding onto Patterson all the more curious knowing the inevitability of him not being on the Steelers’ roster come the end of August.
