Cordarrelle Patterson is Steelers Biggest Mystery

The Pittsburgh Steelers' running back room saw some upheaval this offseason with the additions of Kaleb Johnson and Kenneth Gainwell through the NFL Draft and free agency, respectively, while Najee Harris left the team in favor of a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Jaylen Warren is also back in the fold after signing his restricted free agent tender, which begs the question: is there a role for Cordarrelle Patterson next season?

The 34-year-old was largely a non-factor throughout his lone campaign in Pittsburgh up to this point, as he logged 135 yards on the ground across 32 attempts in 13 games and averaged 21.8 yards per kick return.

Immediately proceeding his tenure in Pittsburgh was a three-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023, during which he posted 1,494 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns to go with 708 yards and six scores through the air.

A favorite of Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, having previously played under him while he acted as Atlanta's head coach, the best case for Patterson sticking around would be his familiarity with Pittsburgh's scheme as well as his vast experience.

A four-time All-Pro who is the NFL's all-time leader in kick return touchdowns with nine, Patterson has crafted a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. With his performance on a steady decline in that facet over the past handful of years, however, his tenure in the league is closing in on its swan song.

His already slim workload on the ground is set to shrink even further, and there's an argument to be made that Gainwell is a more viable kick returner at this point too.

If the organization were to cut Patterson before the final season of a two-year pact worth $6 million that he agreed to last March, they'd save $2.850 million against the cap in 2025 while also saddling them with $950,000 in dead money.

Taking that into consideration, both he and the Steelers would likely be better off moving on from one another.