Falcons Changing Patterson's Position 'Every Couple of Days'?
"Positionless football" may be a buzzword used by coaches at the NFL and college level, yet for coach Arthur Smith and the Atlanta Falcons, that may be a way to describe their offense.
Speaking with reporters recently, Smith gave his early thoughts on how the Falcons' receivers have looked through the first two weeks of training camp.
"All those guys are in there competing – tight ends and [running] backs are a part of it," Smith said. "I just look at it as a skill group. I think, overall, it's been pretty impressive. Maybe we'll check with the league, and we'll change positions every couple of days. We’ll call CP [Cordarrelle Patterson] a receiver one day, I'll call him a running back another. Maybe we'll call him a tight end, I don't know. That'll cause some interesting debates."
The changing of Patterson's position every day will be music to the ears of the 32-year-old, who admitted recently that he liked his versatile role in the Falcons' 2021 offense more compared to last season. But why is that? What was the difference?
Well, as shown via Pro Football Focus' snap counts for Patterson, paint two different pictures in regards to usage the last two seasons. In 2021 Patterson recorded 177 total snaps when lined up as a receiver; compared to last season, it was a much more versatile role, as he took just 77 a season ago.
This potential back to being "positionless" may be due to a lot of factors, including the addition of first-round draft pick Bijan Robinson. Despite a breakout year from former fifth-round pick Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for over 1,000 yards after emerging as RB1 for the Falcons following an injury to Patterson, the Falcons selected Robinson No. 8 overall.
No, running back wasn't on the Falcons' bingo card of needs heading into the NFL Draft, but in the opinion of many, he was the best player available on the board when Atlanta was on the clock.
While the expectations for Robinson are rightfully high for his rookie season, especially after what Allgeier did last season. Robinson's addition now allows the Falcons to move Patterson around more since he isn't one of the top two backs on the depth chart.
Since Robinson's arrival in Atlanta, many have named Patterson as a potential trade candidate for the Falcons, but judging by Smith's comments, that couldn't be further from the truth.
Patterson may not be the only player who could be "position-less," as both tight ends Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith could see their snaps add up when aligned as a traditional receiver or running back, which is where coach Smith sometimes used Jonnu when the pair were with the Tennessee Titans.
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