Oakland Raiders: Grading Reggie McKenzie’s Offseason Moves To This Point
By Kevin Saito
Cordarrelle Patterson (WR/KR)
The Cordarrelle Patterson signing is one that seemed to come out of the blue. Given the presence of Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and Seth Roberts, wide receiver didn’t seem to be a real position of need for Oakland – especially given Patterson‘s history as an underachiever.
However, what Patterson excels at is something the Raiders can really use – some real pop on special teams. Patterson has been one of the league’s best return men for a few years now. He’s averaged more than 30 yards on kickoff returns in three of his four seasons in the league. (and in that one season he didn’t average 30, he still averaged slightly better than 25 yards per return)
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Given that his numbers far surpass any of Oakland’s return men last season – and he’s got five career return touchdowns – adding him to the kicking game is a very solid addition. Field position is everything and getting a guy who can help put the offense in short field situations is key.
But in addition to that, they’re also getting somebody who can make plays in the passing game as well. Though much has been made of Patterson’s struggles with consistency, he has an amazing amount of untapped potential – and after Norv Turner stepped down in Minnesota last season, we started to see glimpses of what Patterson can do for an offense.
Though he didn’t get a lot of opportunities on offense, he started learning to make the most of them. He had 52 receptions on just 70 targets, for a completion rate of 74 percent – a percentage that would have led the Raiders receivers last season.
Though he’s probably going to be the fourth option, don’t be surprised to see Patterson get some solid looks. Especially if Seth Roberts continues to struggle with drops once again. Patterson can add another dimension – not to mention a terrific weapon – to Oakland’s offensive arsenal.
Grade: A