New England Patriots: Steal of the offseason, Cordarrelle Patterson
By Randy Gurzi
The New England Patriots made a deal for wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson this offseason and it could prove to be quite a steal for them
Trading with the New England Patriots is an inadvisable thing to do. No team seems to ever get the better end of the deal, yet it keeps happening. Again, this offseason they were making deals and look to have been on the better end of more than one.
The best move, however, was their deal with the Oakland Raiders. They landed playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson and a sixth-round pick for a simple fifth-round selection. Patterson may have never lived up to his lofty draft status, but to act like he hasn’t made his mark on the NFL would be wrong.
In five seasons, Patterson has six rushing touchdowns, seven receiving and five as a kick returner. That kind of versatility is exactly what makes a player like him so valuable in an offensive scheme run by the creative Josh McDaniels.
On Thursday night, we all saw how dangerous he can be. Patterson had four receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown for New England — and that was without him being used in the running game at all.
Expect his production to only increase the more comfortable he gets in their system, especially early on in the season. The Patriots lost No.1 receiver Julian Edelman for four games due to suspension and the guy who stepped up in his absence last season due to injury — Danny Amendola — is now in Miami.
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Patterson should be featured much more in the slot and his skill set is a perfect match for that role. When all is said and done, once again, the Patriots will have easily won this trade. It could also go down as the biggest steal of the 2018 NFL offseason.