Cordarelle Patterson is listed as a wide receiver, but his best work is with the ball in his hands
Cordarelle Patterson is listed as a wide receiver, but he is anything but that. He should be labeled as an offensive weapon. While Patterson can run routes, he is much better with the ball in his hands, than he is separating down the field.
In fact, he played 263 snaps last season and ran the football 47 times. Even that does not tell the whole story, though.
While Cordarelle Patterson caught 24 passes last season, only 11 were passes beyond the line of scrimmage. Tom Brady was 11-19 throwing to Patterson all season.
On passes at or behind the line of scrimmage, he caught 14 of 16 passes for 83 yards.
Here is the distribution of his stats by distance:
Rushing attempts: 42 carries for 228 yards, 1 TD
Passes behind the line of scrimmage: 14 receptions for 83 yards, 1 TD
0-10 yards downfield: 8-12 for 75 yards
20+ yards downfield: 3-6 for 121 yards, 2 TDs
On “runs” that include passes behind the line of scrimmage, he accumulated 56 touches for 311 yards. That is over 5.5 yards per touch.
To put that into perspective Tarik Cohen had 118 touches combing carries and receptions behind the line of scrimmage. That led to 570 yards and 4.8 yards per touch.
Now, these two can line up in the backfield together and only make themselves stronger.
What is even more impressive is his deep game passing. He is not a field stretcher, as shown by his elite play with the ball in his hands. However, it is worth noting that 1/3 of every pass Tom Brady threw 20 yards to him landed in the end zone. When Patterson does go deep, it is touchdown or bust.
This is an excellent signing for the Bears. The versatility he has with the ball in his hands combined with his receiver moniker and ability to stretch the field is stress on the defense. Matt Nagy is the creative genius and just got his most versatile piece yet.