After the season ends I dive into the free agency lists and try to figure out who might be a good fit for the Patriots. Then the Patriots go and blow all my study out of the water as they focus on trades like they did with their third of the past two weeks, acquiring Cordarrelle Patterson from the Raiders for a swap of late-round picks. Just as I got keen to the Patriots’ restricted free agency ways, they continue to keep me on my toes and that’s why sometimes it’s best to just sit back and let them do their thing.
Patterson’s addition was a bit surprising on the surface but as you dig a little further it’s a move that shores up a few different spots that have been affected by departures this offseason. Patterson was drafted with what was originally the Patriots’ 29th overall pick in the 2013 draft. The Patriots turned that pick into four other picks, and now they get Patterson for peanuts, with no guaranteed money. He’s not exactly cheap with a cap hit of $3.25 million, but should bring enough value to the offense and special teams to make him worth it.
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The primary spot he should contribute is as the kickoff returner replacing Dion Lewis. Patterson is one of the best in the league, an All Pro in two of his first five seasons with five career touchdowns. If nothing else he gives the Patriots a dynamic threat, but there’s more to him as he became an impressive special teams gunner in Oakland. He also brings value as a gadget receiver/running back. The Patriots are stacked at wide receiver, but should they need to use him, Patterson could be a creative piece of weaponry.
In recent years the Pats have bought low on a number of first round picks, including most recently Danny Shelton, Kenny Britt and Phillip Dorsett. They didn’t exactly pay low on Brandin Cooks, but it’s amazing how a team that consistently picks near the bottom of the first round finds ways to expand the number of first-round picks on their roster years later at the (mostly) cheap.
Ultimately this move boils down to value. Patterson could have a hand in replacing Lewis, Danny Amendola and potentially Matthew Slater. And who can complain about adding more team speed to an already fast-as-hell receiving corps, especially when it only costs a handful of draft slots?
Cordarrelle Patterson’s 109 yard return vs Green Bay 2013 #Patriots pic.twitter.com/99EeBcfz4B
— ’03 Kliff Kingsbury (@fearthe_beard11) March 18, 2018