The definition of a late bloomer, Cousins put on some of his best games since O’Connell was hired by the Vikings in 2022.
Regardless of how this discussion turned out, they would still require a succession plan because of Cousins’ advanced age and their dedication to a “competitive rebuild,” as Adofo-Mensah has referred to it on multiple occasions and emphasized in his comments on Monday.
Although the new rules may cause Patterson’s true value to come from kick returns, Smith will know how to fit the speedster into different roles in the system having been the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons for the last three years when he was a member of the NFC South squad.
Only the Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and San Francisco 49ers opposed the league owners’ vote to accept the new kickoff hybrid rule, according to Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports on Tuesday. The other teams abstained.
The goal of the rule was to decrease the likelihood of injuries by limiting the number of long-distance running starts prior to player collisions, hence increasing the amount of kick returns.
Players like Patterson, who have been excellent returners throughout their careers, now have greater value for teams since kick returns are now more common than touchbacks.
The 33-year-old is primarily renowned for being a superb returner, however he has occasionally filled in as a receiver and most recently ran for a career-high 695 yards in 2022. In terms of kick return yardage twice, longest kick return three times, and kick return touchdowns six times, the four-time Pro Bowl player leads the league.
With nine kickoff return touchdowns overall, Patterson will provide the Steelers with extra offensive weaponry on special teams as they look to make the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years.
