Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy is looking forward to figuring out different ways to utilize former Minnesota Vikings receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in 2019.
Before Laquon Treadwell arrived in 2016, Cordarrelle Patterson was the most recent wide receiver drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings that didn’t end up panning out.
It’s been two seasons since Patterson last suited up for the Vikings and now he is back in the NFC North. The former Minnesota receiver is now a member of the Chicago Bears after signing a two-year, $10 million deal with last year’s NFC North champions in March.
During a radio interview on Wednesday, Bears head coach Matt Nagy couldn’t contain his excitement about having Patterson on the team’s roster for the upcoming season.
"“We’re so excited to get CP in here. This kid is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, and can fly. I’m like a kid in a candy store.”"
Nagy, known for being one of the most creative offensive minds in the NFL right now, is probably going to use Patterson closer to how the Vikings did during his rookie season in 2013. That year, Minnesota lined the receiver up all over the field to utilize his tremendous ability to make defenders fall out of their shoes in space.
Unfortunately, Patterson was never used in the same way during his other three years with the Vikings. For some reason, Minnesota’s coaching staff attempted to turn him into a more traditional wide receiver instead of just taking advantage of the unique skills that he possesses.
It’s a little scary to think about his potential in Chicago’s offense. If anyone can figure out the correct way to utilize Patterson, it would be Nagy.
For the majority of his time in the league, however, the hype surrounding the former Vikings receiver has usually turned out to be much larger than his actual production.
So for Minnesota’s sake, hopefully this is just another instance of Patterson’s expectations being set way too high. Or else, things could ugly for the Vikings in their two matchups against the Bears and their former receiver next season.