The New England Patriots have experienced some movement at the wide receiver position this offseason following the departure of longtime starter Danny Amendola via free agency. This left a notable hole at the position that the team needed to fill ahead of the 2018 campaign.
In response to that, the Patriots acquired veteran wideout Cordarrelle Patterson from the Oakland Raiders in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.
Up to this point in his career, he has yet to be utilized primarily as a receiving threat, which is something his new head coach Bill Belichick addressed right off the bat, saying the Patriots will help him finally be used the way he should be. (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk)
“He was just telling me I don’t know what you’ve been through in the past, but basically we get the job done here,” Patterson said. “We’re gonna make you the player you should be.”
Through his first five years in the league, Patterson has played a versatile role on special teams as a kickoff returner, while playing more of a secondary role as a wide receiver. He was mostly used on streaks as a deep-ball threat because of his speed.
The 27-year-old is coming off his first season with the Oakland Raiders, making 31 catches on 42 targets for 309 receiving yards with zero touchdown receptions along with 121 rushing yards with a pair of touchdowns. It marked the second-lowest amount of receptions and receiving yards in his five seasons in the league. This was a step back from his best campaign, where he had a career-high 52 receptions for 453 receiving yards and a pair of touchdown catches in 2016 with the Minnesota Vikings.
With the Patriots already eyeing to use him in a major role, it could lead to a breakout year for Patterson while becoming a crucial piece of their passing game next season.
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