Minnesota Vikings: Should the team move on from Cordarrelle Patterson?

Minnesota Vikings: Should the team move on from Cordarrelle Patterson?

October 16, 2015 by Jackson McDonough

http://isportsweb.com/2015/10/16/minnesota-vikings-should-the-team-move-on-from-cordarrelle-patterson/

There have been a lot of trade talks surrounding Cordarelle Patterson the past few weeks, with some strongly believing he will be traded before the November 3rd deadline. It’s not unjustified, so far this season he has caught only 2 passes for 10 yards which is in the realm where saying he’s “underperforming” is actually an overstatement. He possesses enough athletic ability to be a superstar but he just can’t translate that to results on the field. It’s easy to see why a trade could be beneficial to both him and the Minnesota Vikings, but is that really the best course of action right now?
Reasons to keep him
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The main concern with trading Cordarelle Patterson doesn’t have to do with his ability as a receiver, instead it has more to do with the other Viking’s receivers. Mike Wallace and Charles Johnson, the team’s top two receivers, are both questionable for next week with injuries. It is likely that both of them play, but if either isn’t cleared for the game the offense will be losing an electric playmaker. While Patterson han’t performed well so far, he has the skill set to step into this role which could keep the Viking’s offense functioning as normal in the case of prolonged injury.

Another reason to keep Patterson is the fact that we really don’t know how far along he is in his development. While he hasn’t been producing much this season, he has only ever been targeted on those two throws. It’s reasonable to believe that Patterson isn’t getting touches because of his performance, but that could also work in reverse where he cant produce without getting the ball. We’ve been treated to flashes of what he might turn out to be and it is hard to just let go of that after two and a half seasons. There comes a point where potential means nothing without results, but I believe that he has enough talent that he could eventually make the Vikings regret letting him slip through their fingers.
Reasons to trade him

As I’ve already mentioned, the injuries to Wallace and Johnson don’t appear to be enough to keep them out of the game this Sunday or beyond. Even in the case of a prolonged injury, two players have already stepped up to fill the role instead of Patterson. Rookie Stephon Diggs lead the team in yards against the Broncos and Adam Thielen also had a solid game with 70 yards receiving. It is likely that these two players are more likely to fill any void left by Wallace or Johnson, leaving Patterson as unnecessary.

Along that same line of reasoning comes my next point, that Patterson is too far buried on the depth chart to make a difference. He saw barely any time even when the Vikings needed to replace Johnson and there is little reason to believe that will change any time soon. The coaching staff clearly doesn’t feel like they’ve seen enough out of Patterson to increase his role and it’s likely they are right because of the way Diggs and Thielen played. If he can’t beat them out when an opportunity arises, he probably won’t show anything to get him in the game when the receiving corps is at full strength. In fact, it’s possible that Patterson could also benefit from a change in scenery to an offense that gives him room to grow. Minnesota’s situation might not allow for that growth to happen, and his trade value might keep shrinking enough that the Vikings miss out on getting anything for him.
The Verdict

While it is easy to find some hang-ups to trading away a player with Patterson’s athleticism, it’s pretty clear that the Vikings should pursue a trade if possible. This is probably the last time that Patterson will have much value in a trade and the Vikings don’t appear to have a situation to allow him to grow into his abilities. As long as they receive a good trade offer, probably a mid-round pick, they should probably take it and move on.

I always like Patterson. I liked him better than Tavon. I would offer Minn a 5th round pick. This is based on what we did to acquire Barron.