Do Steelers Have Plans For Cordarrelle Patterson?

Do the Steelers have plans for Cordarrelle Patterson?

Training camp is nearly here, and Cordarrelle Patterson is still on the Steelers’ roster, no doubt already preparing for Latrobe. Players report tomorrow, and presumably, at this rate, he will be among them. Yet even the beat writers have openly questioned why he is still here, which begs another question as a result.

That is, do the Steelers have plans for Cordarrelle Patterson, plans we don’t seem to see? Right now, he appears to be positioned as the fourth running back, but is he still the primary kick returner? He struggled mightily adjusting to the NFL’s new rules last year, but old dogs can learn new tricks.

It seems as though every Steelers running back enters training camp with some hype other than Cordarrelle Patterson. For Jaylen Warren, he is stepping into the limelight for the first time after Najee Harris’ departure. Rookie third-round pick Kaleb Johnson seems to be a perfect scheme fit for Arthur Smith’s offense. Even Kenneth Gainwell seems poised to be a sneaky impactful addition, if they can manage to find snaps for him.

But how will the Steelers find snaps for Patterson—more specifically, snaps on offense? Although nominally now a running back, he also has a background as a wide receiver. Can they turn him into a utility player, lining up wherever they ask and carrying out a multitude of assignments?

Ordinarily, I don’t think people would concern themselves too much about such a situation. The fact that Patterson is due to earn nearly $3 million this season, though, makes Steelers fans’ ears perk up. That isn’t much of a bounty, relatively speaking, but maybe that could go to another safety. Maybe it could go to a wide receiver, or basically anybody who might positively contribute.

This wouldn’t be such a quandary for the Steelers if Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t flop so hard as a kick returner last season. That’s why they signed him, a fact that they readily admitted, then he finished among the worst in the NFL.

So what’s next for one of the game’s great return men in history? Do the Steelers actively plan to use Patterson this year, or are they letting him compete for a roster spot? Presumably, they would have cut him by now if they weren’t open to keeping him. Nobody is going to trade for him, so he is here, at least for now, because they want him here.

The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.

Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.

But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.