Atlanta Falcons Coach Arthur Smith Praises 'Unique' RB Cordarrelle Patterson

Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith opened up about the advantage versatile veteran running back Cordarrelle Patterson provides his team on the field.

In the Atlanta Falcons’ latest win, the team proved that its backfield is much more than the Bijan Robinson show.

With the dynamic rookie limited to just one carry due to a headache he was experiencing, Falcons veterans Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson had to shoulder the bulk of the run game. 

Atlanta Falcons veteran Cordarrelle Patterson stepped up while star rookie running back Bijan Robinson wasn't at full strength.  / USA Today Sports

After missing the first three games of the season because of an injury, Patterson had his most productive game this year, finishing with 81 all-purpose yards. Following the game, Atlanta head coach Arthur Smith spoke about his running back room and the versatility Patterson provides now that he’s healthy again.

“That’s why you can adapt,” Smith said. “Part of the plan: if we needed Bijan to play more, CP may have played a little bit of a different role, but we had things in, and you always have to have contingency plans. 

“When you have flexibility like that, it allows you to take care of somebody if you need to. He always rallies. He’s a unique football player. That’s why I enjoy coaching him. We have a lot of versatile guys, but you saw how the game went on, and again, he made some big plays for us. That’s just the way the game evolved, but I know as the game went on, Tyler and him both were harder and harder to tackle.”

At 32 years old, Patterson may not have the same level of athleticism he did during his six All-Pro team appearances. However, he is still a versatile chess piece capable of stepping up to make the Falcons offense more dynamic when his number is called.