New England Patriots: Cordarrelle Patterson proving his worth

Cordarrelle Patterson is proving his worth to the New England Patriots and NFL as a whole in recent weeks.

The New England Patriots added an intriguing talent this offseason in Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson, a former 1st round pick, has bounced around the NFL for five seasons now.

After two Pro Bowl appearances in a four-year stint in Minnesota, Patterson found his way to Oakland. In his one season with the Raiders, Patterson was, at best, below average when used as a receiver. He also had his worst season as a return specialist, posting 19 returns for 538 yards and zero touchdowns.

On March 18th, 2018 the New England Patriots acquired Patterson after swapping their 5th round pick for the Raiders 6th. This was the best thing to happen in Patterson’s career. Patterson is thriving in the Patriots system in all aspects.

As a kick returner, he has had 14 returns for 451 yards and one touchdown. He is averaging a league-leading 32.2 yards per return.

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As a receiver, Patterson is put in to make plays. Although his snap share has been low due to the addition of Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman‘s return, Patterson has 11 receptions on 15 targets for 114 yards and 2 touchdowns. Patterson was used early on in the season to create plays for the injury diminished team.

Recently Patterson has been plugged in as the Patriots starting running back following a knee injury to rookie standout Sony Michel.

Patterson premiered his skills on Monday Night Football against the Bills, posting 10 carries for 38 yards. Although it was not a breakout performance, Patterson established his versatility and value to this Patriots team.

Now, on Sunday Night Football, with Michel out yet again, Patterson shined in his role as the featured back for the Patriots.

Packers defenders struggled to bring down the 6′ 2″ 220lb Patterson, as he ran 11 times for 61 yards and one touchdown. Patterson would have posted a second if his second-half score was not overturned.

When Patterson was acquired by the Patriots, Bill Belichick called Patterson and said: “We’ll make you the player you should be.”

Belichick is doing so and all of Patriots nation hopes he continues to perform in whatever role the genius of Belichick continues to put him in.