Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson and the Chicago Bears agreed to a two-year deal on Tuesday afternoon. The signing fills multiple voids for the Bears as Patterson provides depth to the wide receiver corp and gives the team a much-needed kickoff returner. Although small, the signing has the potential to increase the team’s point output in 2019.
Patterson’s biggest attribute is his speed as he has been one of the league’s most explosive players. He has scored 23 total touchdowns in a six-year career. Whether scoring on kick returns, touchdown catches, or rushing touchdowns, Patterson versatility on both offense and special teams is what the Bears need.
Chicago’s special teams will receive the biggest impact with Patterson’s presence.
He is a two-time Pro-Bowler and All-Pro at the kickoff return position as he has returned six kickoffs for touchdowns in his career. In three of his six seasons, Patterson has led the league yards per kick return averaging 30 yards per kick for his career. The longest kick return the Bears had all last year was just 31 yards.
Getting better field position due to kick returns will only improve the Bears offense ability to score. In 2007 and 2008, the Bears were one of the best team’s when it came to starting field position due to their ability to get yardage on their kick returns.
Matt Nagy’s offense could score more points in 2019 than they did in 2018 if they average better starting position compared to last season.
On offense, Patterson will fit perfectly in Nagy’s system. Patterson can serve as a dual-threat wide receiver with the ability to catch passes and carry the ball in the running game. Last season that role was filled by both Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller were involved the running game via end-arounds and jet sweeps.
Patterson is a natural in the role as he has scored rushing touchdowns with both the Raiders and Patriots the last two seasons. He has also averaged nearly eight yards per carry for his career.
In the passing game, his size will be valuable as he gives quarterback Mitchell Trubisky a downfield speed threat with size. Both Gabriel and Miller were the team’s deep threats last season but lacked size as both were shorter than six feet tall. Patterson is a 6-foot-2 receiver that can win one on one battles against larger cornerbacks.
Nagy will now have four players on offense who possess speed allowing them to be a threat in both the passing game and running game. Running back Tarik Cohen, Patterson, Miller, and Gabriel give the Bears an offense that will be hard to predict and gamelan against defensively.
The signing may be a small one, but could potentially lead to more points in 2019 for the Bears.
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