Throughout his NFL career, Cordarrelle Patterson has shown flashes of his great talent, but he’s never developed into an every-down offensive threat. Bears coach Matt Nagy hopes to be the one to figure out how to make the most out of Patterson’s talents.
So far this season Patterson has touched the ball four times, and he has flashed both the good and the bad: He broke off a 46-yard run against the Broncos on Sunday at a time when the Bears’ offense otherwise wasn’t getting anything going, but he also lost two yards on a crucial third-and-1 in the loss to the Packers. Nagy said he needs to be cognizant of what Patterson can and can’t do.
“It’s a benefit — unless it’s third-and-1 and you’re trying to get a first down with him back there,” Nagy said, via the Chicago Sun-Times.
Nagy said he’s been keeping an eye on Patterson since he was in college and has always liked what he can do.
“Now what he’s morphed into as a player throughout his [NFL] career, it’s pretty unique,” Nagy said. “As a play-caller it allowed you to be flexible with what you can do. You saw [against the Broncos] we were able to get him on the edge. He’s a big dude that’s flying around there with a lot of speed.”
Through two games, the Bears’ offense looks desperate for someone who can fly around with a lot of speed. Don’t be surprised if Patterson starts getting more touches. Just not on third-and-1.