When Cordarrelle Patterson signed a two-year deal with the Bears, people were pumped. He had just won a Super Bowl with New England, having morphed into a playable running back somewhere along the way. Already one of the NFL's most unique players, his fit in Matt Nagy's offense was easy to see. His first season in Chicago didn't quite live up to the hype, though he remained one of the NFL's best kick returners. Still, he wasn't featured much in the run game; after running the ball 42 times for 228 yards in New England, Patterson only had 17 rushes with the Bears.
Headed into 2020, it sounds like that may change:
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Patterson's been in meetings with the running backs, not with the wide receivers. And when they signed him to a two-year, $10 million deal before last season, they really had visions of using him creatively. In fact, when he went to sign the contract, he walked in and saw on the board – Nagy had written on the board plays, and creative ways to use Patterson. They didn't get around to it last year. Expect them to get around to it these year. Again, he is in with the running backs to learn everything about the position – the protections, and everything, so when he's lined up back there, you don't necessarily know if he's going to get the football. And Dave Ragone, the passing game coordinator, has been a guy that's been working with Patterson.
Well that's exciting! Although shouldn't Patterson maybe still be in some meetings with the wide receivers? Like just a few? Don't think we missed the Eddie Jackson comment from Garafolo up front, either. It's all happening.