The Cleveland Browns have high hopes for their offense heading into the 2023 season. There is optimism that quarterback Deshaun Watson will be able to regain his form after knocking off the rust in 2022.
Improvement from Watson would certainly be ideal, but the Browns’ bread and butter offensively is the ground game. They are going to once again be relying heavily on Nick Chubb to carry the load in the backfield.
However, the team could certainly use a complementary piece alongside him. For the last four seasons, that role has been filled by Kareem Hunt. But, after a tough 2022 season, Hunt hit free agency and the Browns elected not to retain him.
There have been whispers that Cleveland is going to expand the workload of Chubb and utilize him more as a pass-catcher. But, that isn’t a role that he has played ever in his five seasons as a professional.
Going out and adding a playmaker to the backfield that can help in the passing game would make a lot of sense. One player who could certainly fit that bill is Cordarrelle Patterson of the Atlanta Falcons.
Patterson was named as the player that Atlanta should make a trade with ahead of the 2023 season by Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report. The suggestion makes a lot of sense as there is a logjam in the Falcons’ backfield.
After using the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Bijan Robinson, Patterson’s role with the team is evaporating. Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley remain on the roster as complementary pieces to Robinson, making Patterson expendable.
Atlanta would save $4.3 million moving Patterson in a trade, which is certainly a nice motivational point. On top of that, they would receive some draft capital. The Browns could offer a fourth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and see if that is enough to get the Falcons to bite on a deal.
Patterson would be a great addition to the Cleveland offense. His versatile skill set would open things up even more for head coach Kevin Stefanski, as Patterson began his career as a wide receiver.
The only running back behind Chubb right now is rookie Jerome Ford, as D’Ernest Johnson also departed in free agency. Bringing in an experienced player such as Patterson would provide the Browns with some insurance in case anything were to happen to Chubb and another veteran for Ford to lean on and learn from.
