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The Atlanta Falcons released their first depth chart of the 2023 regular season this week, and it included something no other depth chart did: The “J” position.
Listed at “J” was Swiss Army knife Cordarrelle Patterson, who is an electric running back, wide receiver and kick returner. The “J” is called the Joker position for the Falcons — which appears to be a perfect fit for Patterson. He’s a seven-time All-Pro, four-time Pro Bowler and has more kickoff return touchdowns than any player in NFL history with nine.
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said the concept started as a joke, but that there was no way he was going to list Patterson as a third-string running back on his depth chart behind Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier.
“He’s not third-team anything,” Smith said during an interview on 92.9 The Game.
As you can tell from his social media profile, Patterson is embracing this new position.
Patterson was known primarily as a specialist before Smith unlocked him in his first season as head coach in 2021. That year, Patterson recorded a career-high 1,166 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. In this Joker role, you can expect Patterson to do more of what he’s been doing ever since he joined the Falcons — a little bit of everything.
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