Matt Nagy must’ve had a rough time watching the tape from his 2019 offense. Both for how limited it looked at times and how many missed opportunities it had. Perhaps one thing that stuck out the most was how he used the best playmakers he had. Tarik Cohen is one that stands out. However, it appears Cordarrelle Patterson might be the guy he regrets not utilizing more.
The Bears ground game was a shambles last season. Nagy had flirted with the idea of using the wide receiver in the backfield to mix things up. The results weren’t bad. Patterson carried the ball 17 times for 103 yards. A healthy 6.1 yards a pop. It seems the Bears coach reached a realization this offseason.
A big mistake he made last year was not giving Patterson the football more often. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network has it on good authority that is going to change.
“I’m starting to hear things that make me think Matt Nagy is going to be really creative this year. And go deep into that bag of tricks,” Garafolo said. “How about Cordarrelle Patterson, who we’ve seen in the past has been a running back? In fact, Josh McDaniels with the Patriots really provided the blueprint that Matt Nagy and the Bears are going to follow here this year.
“Patterson has been in meetings with the running backs — not with the wide receivers. 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 actually sign the contract he walked in and actually saw on the board, Nagy had written up 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 this year.”
Cordarrelle Patterson has shown he can handle heavier workloads
There is no question that Patterson is the main man in the kick return game. That won’t change. Yet the fact remains he’s one of the Bears’ most explosive weapons. They have to find a way to get him the ball. The problem is the wide receiver room underwent a makeover this year with Ted Ginn Jr. and Darnell Mooney arriving in the spring. If the team wants to get them involved along with Riley Ridley? They’d have to sacrifice Patterson’s snaps.
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That is unless he happened to switch positions.
Depth at running back is a major question mark for the Bears. They have David Montgomery and Cohen on top. After that, it’s only Ryan Nall and rookie Artavis Pierce. Shifting Patterson into that group boosts the depth and also adds an element of speed they’re lacking. The question most will have is could he handle a high volume of carries?
The answer is yes. Back in 2018, he had 42 rushes that season for the New England Patriots. This included a game against Green Bay where he ran 11 times for 61 yards and a touchdown. The guy can do the job. He just needs opportunities.