Falcon Report

Falcons' Bijan Robinson Taking Kickoff Returns; Cordarrelle Patterson Trade Coming?

If Bijan Robinson can return kicks and punts, it may behoove the Atlanta Falcons to trade Cordarrelle Patterson.

Jeremy Brener

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The Atlanta Falcons are in full swing for training camp and are trying to find the best combination of players and positions to help them succeed this season.

When they drafted Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick, they anticipated he would mostly play running back, but with an athlete of that caliber, he can also play in other areas.

Perhaps we can add kick return specialist to his resume?

According to ESPN's Mike Rothstein, Robinson took some reps as a kick returner in Friday's practice session.

Robinson isn't likely to be the team's kick returner when games begin to count ... that job will likely belong to Cordarrelle Patterson, the all-time record holder for most kick return touchdowns in a career.

However, it's worth a shot to give Bijan a look.

Drafting Robinson with such a high pick has put Patterson's roster spot in question, especially considering the fact that the two mostly line up as running backs. However, a reason to keep Patterson even with Robinson in-house is his kick return abilities.

If the Falcons feel like Robinson (or anyone else) could take on that role, perhaps that would make Atlanta feel more comfortable trading Patterson before the season started.

Patterson should generate some trade interest before the season given the fact that he's a durable player who can run the ball, line up as a receiver and return kicks and punts.

As of now, Atlanta will likely keep Patterson, but as camp rolls on ... that may change.

You can follow Jeremy Brener on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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