So far since they started their bye week, the Minnesota Vikings have already made one trade, and there are rumors swirling around that they could be looking to make another one.
Have heard the #Vikings have solicited more than one team about interest in Patterson.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) October 6, 2015
Allbright, obviously, is talking about Cordarrelle Patterson, who stock has dropped harder and more quickly than Enron. Patterson was one of the team's three first-round picks in the 2013 NFL Draft (along with Sharrif Floyd and Xavier Rhodes), and after a brilliant finish to his rookie campaign, has been an afterthought in the Vikings' offense. Last season, he had just 33 catches for 384 yards and one touchdown (along with one rushing touchdown), and this season he's just disappeared, accumulating just two catches for ten yards in the first four weeks of the season.
As a rookie, he was also one of the league's most dangerous kick returners, but at this point it doesn't appear that he's good at that any more, either. He's returned seven kicks this year and averaged just 24.3 yards, with his longest return being just 33. Patterson reportedly spent time this off-season getting himself into outstanding shape, but chose not to work out with the mysterious "veteran mentor" that head coach Mike Zimmer had set up for him during the off-season.
Patterson was already buried on the depth chart, but the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs. . .who could also slot right into Patterson's job as a kick returner, if necessary. . .this past Sunday in Denver when both Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright were hobbled may have officially put him underground with the Vikings.
No word on which teams may be interested in Patterson's services or what level of compensation the team might be looking at, but there's still plenty of time for something to happen if it's going to.