Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is one of the rare NFL talents that is a great player, regardless of where he lines up on the field. He’s one of the premier young defenders in the NFL, and he’s electric in the return game when the ball’s in his hands.
Now, it seems, the Cardinals are trying to find new ways to get his hands on the ball more often, and yes, that means he’ll be playing on offense.
Quarterback Carson Palmer told the team website that Peterson will be getting a “pretty big package” on offense.
“If he wasn’t playing corner he’d probably be just as good of a receiver, H-back or Percy Harvin-type player,” Palmer said.
Electric players have made the switch from defense or special teams to offense before with limited success. Devin Hester was originally a return specialist before being moved to wide receiver where he saw limited success.
Even if Peterson proves to be an effective offensive weapon, don’t expect the Cardinals to give him more reps on offense. Playing offense and defense will wear him out extremely quickly if it’s overdone, making him less of a threat on both sides of the ball.
Still, having an extra playmaker in a pinch can never hurt a team. Peterson can do a little bit of everything, but the key is that he does it all very well, or at least he has to this point. If the experiment fails, it’s no big deal, but if it succeeds, the Cardinals essentially picked up an offensive weapon free of charge.