Former Vikings first-round wide receiver is now listed as a safety

Former Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson has been added to the latest Atlanta Falcons depth chart as a safety.

During his first season as a member of the Atlanta Falcons, Cordarrelle Patterson has been performing better than he did in any of the four years he spent with the Minnesota Vikings.

In 10 games this season, Patterson has caught 41 passes for 500 yards and five touchdowns while also rushing for 411 yards and another four touchdowns on 93 carries. Oh yeah, and he also ranks 10th in the NFL in kick return average so far this year.

As if Patterson already didn’t have enough on his plate, the former Vikings first-round draft pick was recently added to the Falcons defensive depth chart as a safety. Yes, a safety.

Former Minnesota Vikings WR Cordarrelle Patterson shining for Atlanta Falcons in 2021

This season, Patterson has been joking that he would like to take the field as a safety for Atlanta at some point. Well, the Falcons apparently aren’t taking his desires as a joke.

He not only got the opportunity to spend a snap on defense during Atlanta’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last week, but the team says there is actually a defensive package that features Patterson as their free safety.

When he was recently asked about his interest in playing defense, the former Minnesota receiver said that he has a goal of getting at least one interception during his NFL career.

If Patterson is actually ever able to come up with an interception, he would become just the fourth player in the Super Bowl era to catch a touchdown, return a kickoff for a touchdown, and intercept at least one pass in his career.

Patterson has already displayed the ability to play multiple positions out on the field at a high level during his time in the NFL. So who is anyone to doubt him if he ever gets a shot to play a few snaps on defense during the final weeks of the 2021 season?