Dimitri Jonthiel Patterson (born June 18, 1983) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

. He was signed by the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2005. He played college football at Tuskegee and

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) is a public university in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. In addition to the main campus, the university has four regional campuses offering full degree programs and a secondary campus housing the Holland Col ...

. Patterson has also played for the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The t ...

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pl ...

, and New York Jets.

Early years

At Evans High School in Orlando, Patterson was All-State, All-Central Florida, All-Metro, All-Region and All-County, and a Prep Star All American as a

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

College career

Southeast Missouri State

Patterson started 10 games as a

true freshman Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

in 2001. He earned second-team All- OVC honors at

in 2002 as a sophomore. In 2003, he led the Ohio Valley Conference in

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team ...

s (six) and

pass breakups In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

(12), and also had three forced

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

s. Patterson earned first-team OVC that year, as well as making two

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n teams (

The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language sports specialty channel established by the Labatt Brewing Company in 1984 as part of the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels. Since 2001, it has been majority-owned by comm ...

and the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. n ...

). He was a 2004 Lindy's preseason All-American Team and a first-team All- SIAC pick. He returned two blocked

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball ...

for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Americ ...

s and one blocked PAT attempt for two points. His team won ten games and lost two and played in the 2004

Pioneer Bowl The Pioneer Bowl was the name of some December college football bowl games played in two different eras. Between 1971 and 1982, the game was contested 10 times in Texas as an NCAA College Division regional final, or as a playoff game for Divis ...

Tuskegee

In 2004, Patterson transferred to

Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was ...

from Southeast Missouri State.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Patterson signed with the

as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He joined their practice squad on September 5, 2005. He was then promoted to the 53 man roster on October 2, 2005, but was released two days later and returned to the practice squad. Patterson split the season on the active roster 8 weeks and on the practice squad 8 weeks. In his first series on defense as a rookie Patterson intercepted a

Drew Bledsoe Drew McQueen Bledsoe (born February 14, 1972) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football at Washington State, ...

pass intended for Keyshawn Johnson and returned it for 20 yards.

Kansas City Chiefs

Patterson joined the Kansas City Chiefs in 2007 grading out as their best special team performer. He was released by the team on October 30, 2008.

Philadelphia Eagles

Patterson was signed by the

on January 7, 2009 after

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

Mike McGlynn Michael Ryan McGlynn (born March 8, 1985) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Pittsburgh. McGlynn has also played for the Cinc ...

was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

. In the 2009 season, Patterson appeared in 10 games as a core special teams player. In 2010 Patterson had the best season of his career as the teams most productive special teamer through the first 8 weeks leading the Eagles in special team tackles with 10. Patterson was then inserted into the starting lineup against Peyton Manning's Indianapolis Colts at cornerback week 9 replacing Ellis Hobbs. Patterson ended the season with career highs in interceptions(4), pass deflections, (13), Sacks(1), FF(2), TD's(1)

Cleveland Browns

On August 2, 2011, Patterson signed a one-year 3.6 million dollar contract with the

. Patterson had success for the Browns in which he played a vital role in Cleveland's secondary being ranked 2nd in the NFL in Pass Defense which prompted the Browns to re-sign him to a multi-year contract. On December 17, 2012, the Cleveland Browns surprisingly released him.

Miami Dolphins

Patterson was claimed off waivers by the

on December 18, 2012. 2013 Patterson was hampered by a nagging groin injury all season but still managed to tie for a team high 4 interceptions in only 6 appearances. Patterson later underwent surgery on his groin at the end of the season. He was released by the Dolphins on the day before free agency began on March 10, 2014.

New York Jets

Patterson was signed by the New York Jets on April 1, 2014. On August 25, 2014, Patterson was suspended indefinitely by the Jets, after allegedly leaving the team without contacting the organization. Patterson later gave a statement saying the Jets were properly notified by his agent Drew Rosenhaus. He was released on August 30, 2014. Patterson retired in 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patterson, Dimitri 1983 births Living people Players of American football from Orlando, Florida American football cornerbacks American football safeties Southeast Missouri State Redhawks football players Tuskegee Golden Tigers football players Washington Redskins players Kansas City Chiefs players Philadelphia Eagles players Cleveland Browns players Miami Dolphins players New York Jets players