The Atlanta Falcons have a decision to make this spring in regards to return specialist and running back Cordarrelle Patterson.
If the decision were solely up to special teams coordinator Marquice Williams, he would be back in Atlanta.
“I had the opportunity to work with a guy who is the best in history when it comes to kickoff returns," Williams said. "We have a lot of free agents that’s contracts will be up in a month. Those are situations, those are conversations that are above me when it comes to that. I love all of the players that I’ve coached in the past three years here, if we’re just talking about the Atlanta Falcons. ... But I’ll tell you this, CP did a hell of a job for us in his three years here. Whether you talk about his role on offense or his role on special teams, he helped us win games and he made impactful plays.”
However, the decision isn't in Williams' hands, but rather the Falcons front office. Atlanta must decide if Patterson, who turns 33 next month, should be back with the Falcons.
While Patterson is an excellent return specialist, his role outside of that is a bit of a mystery. While he was seen as a running back in Arthur Smith's offense, the same may not be said in Raheem Morris's vision. With Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier already in the running back room, snaps will be scarce for Patterson in the backfield.
Perhaps another team in free agency could offer Patterson more playing time outside of special teams, and that would be enough to sway him away from Atlanta.
Regardless of what happens, it's clear that saying goodbye to Patterson, if it happens, will be far from easy.
More must-reads: