During the NFL free agency period, there has been plenty of teams trying to improve their offenses by investing in their offensive line as protecting their quarterback seemed to be a priority heading into the 2017 NFL season.
The Oakland Raiders were no different as they signed offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse to replace Menelik Watson who bolted to the Denver Broncos. The Raiders ranked sixth overall in offensive yardage last year and according to Raiders, they are making moves to improve upon that already impressive mark:
“The Oakland Raiders have signed unrestricted free agent WR Cordarrelle Patterson, the club announced Monday.”
The 6’2″ wide receiver makes for an excellent addition to a dynamic Raiders offensive force. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree were Derek Carr’s go-to receivers last season and adding Patterson to the mix will only make it harder for opposing defenses to stop them. The former Minnesota Viking gives Carr another option to throw down the field to, opening up the rest of the team’s offensive attack.
Patterson was drafted 29th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Vikings and has spent his last four seasons in Minnesota. As a rookie, he appeared in all 16 games and started six of them. He managed to reel in 45 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns. More impressive, however, was his league-leading 32.4 yard average on kickoff returns, which helped him earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Last season, he had 25 kickoff returns and totaled 792 yards with one touchdown. His efforts earned him his second Pro Bowl selection and set the record for total kick return yards for a Viking with 4,040.
