Pat Patriot
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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Bears haven’t made the same kind of big swings in free agency this year as they did in head coach Matt Nagy’s first offseason on the job in 2018.
That Bears team was trying to snap an extended run of losing seasons and made several moves that helped pave the way toward a division title. This year has been about rounding out that roster in hopes of keeping the team in playoff position.
One of those moves was for Cordarrelle Patterson, who should boost the team’s underperforming kickoff return unit while also giving head coach Matt Nagy a chance to show off his creative side on offense. General Manager Ryan Pace called Patterson a “Swiss army knife” while Nagy came up with a different way to describe the promise provided by Patterson’s versatility.
“When Ryan and I were watching tape and the other guys in our room were watching tape on him, we saw a role for him,” Nagy said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “You see what he did in New England with the jet sweeps, the arounds, the screens, and I think that that’s a good fit for him. But for me it’s kind of like a kid in a candy store. You get to kind of pick which candy you like best, put it together and figure out what he does best.”
Patterson played a little more than a fifth of the offensive snaps for the Patriots last season, but had a career-high 63 offensive touches as the team found a way to make the most of his abilities. If Nagy can get the same productivity this year, it would boost the Bears’ chances of building on last season’s success.