SF 49ers free agency: Cordarrelle Patterson can help return game

The SF 49ers could stand to upgrade their return game in 2021, and free-agent wide receiver/returner Cordarrelle Patterson would be a smart target.

The SF 49ers went through an array of return specialists in 2020 with only marginal results.

Part of this was due to injuries, and the Niners were forced to swap in and out players like Richie James, River Cracraft, Jerick McKinnon, Austin Walter, Dante Pettis and Trent Taylor, among others, in an attempt to better the offense’s field position on kickoffs and punt returns.

The results were so-so at best.

On punt returns, San Francisco averaged 9.0 yards per attempt, which was tied for 14th best. On kickoff returns, the SF 49ers averaged 19.3 yards, which was 29th. As a result, last year’s Niners squad had an average starting field position on their own 27.4-yard line — 25th best in the league.

If San Francisco would like to boost that mark, it would help to find both consistency and some potential explosiveness in the return game. And pending free-agent wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson of the Chicago Bears is an enticing possibility.

Patterson, who’ll turn 30 years old this offseason, never caught on as an elite-level offensive weapon when the Minnesota Vikings drafted him at No. 29 overall back in 2013. But Patterson managed to carve out a niche for himself as a quality return specialist, earning four Pro Bowl nods and four first-team All-Pro honors in that role with the Vikings and Bears.

He hasn’t been much of a factor in the punt-return game. But as far as kickoffs go, he’s put himself into the range of elite-level return specialists, averaging 29.8 yards per return over his career with a whopping eight touchdowns on such plays.

Special teams can see a lot of turnover, and James could be the player the SF 49ers rely upon more to handle return duties. But James hasn’t exactly shown much prowess in that department, at least not since 2018, and one could figure someone like Patterson could provide that kind of spark needed to improve the Niners’ offensive field position.

Cordarrelle Patterson could do a lot for the SF 49ers offense, too

It would be one thing if head coach Kyle Shanahan envisioned Patterson merely as a special teams ace. But there’s a thought Patterson could fit one of those unique “positionless” roles Shanahan has helped develop in San Francisco over the past few years, too.

Going back to Patterson’s lone season with the New England Patriots, 2018, Pats head coach Bill Belichick often used the 6-foot-2, 238-pound receiver in a variety of formats. Patterson would frequently line up wide before motioning behind quarterback Tom Brady, then taking handoffs in a running situation.

Or, as often seen, Patterson would enter in four-wide situations but settle in as a rusher against defenses in a passing alignment.

This is a trait Shanahan has often deployed with his wide receivers already, namely Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, and having yet another weapon at his disposal could prove to be a worthy addition.

The good news is return specialists rarely command the top-dollar money above-average wide receivers get on the open market, meaning a cap-pressed SF 49ers squad wouldn’t have to shell out an exorbitant amount of money to bring aboard a player who’s going to be on the wrong side of 30 years old anyway. And on a one- or two-year deal, it’s likely the Niners could buy relatively low and hope for an exciting upside at least on the special teams front.

It’s been a while since San Francisco has had an elite return specialist in its ranks, but last season revealed why getting someone with potent return skills could be a key need this offseason.

Patterson makes a lot of sense.