Former Falcons' 'Joker' Cut by Steelers

Patterson did it all for the Falcons during his three seasons with the franchise, playing running back, return man and wide receiver.

In 2021, Patterson’s first season with Atlanta, he stepped up big, recording over 1,100 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. He was one of the lone bright spots of an overall forgettable season and had a hat trick against Washington that season, catching three touchdown passes in the loss.

The following season, Patterson made history with Atlanta, taking a kickoff 103 yards to the house against Chicago to tie the NFL record for career kickoff return touchdowns with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington.

Per NFL Research, this was Patterson’s seventh score of 100 or more yards. No one else in NFL history has more than three such scores. 

For the 2023 season, former Falcons head coach Arthur Smith had Patterson listed as a “Joker” on the depth chart, indicating that he could play many different positions on the offense as opposed to being listed as one.

With Atlanta drafting Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson in back-to-back years, along with Patterson’s age, he was not re-signed heading into the 2024 season before signing with the Steelers, where he recorded 335 all-purpose yards and one touchdown.

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