The final preseason game is very important for several players aiming to make the final 53-man roster. Cordarrelle Patterson is one of those players as he remains on edge with the Minnesota Vikings who face off against the Tennessee Titans before heading off into the regular season. Patterson has been hot and cold since getting drafted in the first round and the Vikings might be all-but ready to cut ties with the receiver if he cannot show something Thursday night.
Patterson is aware he is on thin ice with the Vikings. During the offseason the team traded for Mike Wallace and drafted Stefon Diggs to pair with Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright. That put Patterson farther down the depth chart, something he is attempting to climb back from. The receiver is coming off his best performance in a Vikings' uniform after putting up a 107-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Is it enough to save the receiver from getting released?
"The good thing about Cordarrelle is he continues to work each and every week and, when he has the ball in his hands, he can do a lot of things,'' said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer, via the Pioneer Press. "He's a good weapon for us.''
Zimmer and offensive coordinator Norv Turner continue to stress that Patterson has all of the tools to be successful for the team, he just has to put it altogether on the field. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is finally giving the receiver consistency at the position and now it is up to him to make it work. According to the Pioneer Press, Patterson is expected to make the final roster cut in Minnesota, but do not expect him to be a starter.
Another player skating on thin ice is Matt Asiata who is uncertain of his role on the team following the return of Adrian Peterson and the rise of Jerick McKinnon. Asiata is now sitting in third string despite putting up a good portion of running work load last year. Asiata could be at risk of getting released should the Vikings need to make adjustments elsewhere on the roster, but right now he is simply focused on trying to make the most of the time he is given.
"I'm just coming to work trying to stay blessed and get my opportunities when they come," Asiata said, via Scout.com. "I respect Adrian so much. He's the man over here and as a running back group we got to be ready to come in whenever he needs help and for the running back group we're pretty close. Norv loves Adrian, we all love Adrian."
