Dimitri Jonthiel Patterson (born June 18, 1983) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

. 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

in 2005. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at Tuskegee and

Southeast Missouri State University Southeast Missouri State University (Southeast or 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 t ...

. 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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

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

, and

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

Early life

At Evans High School in

Orlando, Florida Orlando ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, Florida, United States. The city proper had a population of 307,573 at the 2020 census, making it the fourth-most populous city in Florida behind Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville ...

, 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 The following terms are used in American football, both conventional and indoor. Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football; for a list of terms unique to that code, see '' Glossary of Canadian football''. 0–9 ...

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 game, ball-playing Competitive sport, 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 ...

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 College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

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 (FBS). Sponsored by the National Collegiate A ...

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n teams (

The Sports Network The Sports Network (TSN) is a Canadian English language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by the Sports Network Inc., a subsidiary of CTV Specialty Television, which is also a joint venture of Bell Media (70%), also owned by BCE ...

and the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

). 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. Consequently, a ...

for

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

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

Pioneer Bowl Pioneer Bowl may refer to one of the following college football bowl games: * Pioneer Bowl (1971–1982), played in Wichita Falls, Texas, first as an NCAA College Division regional bowl game, then as a Division II postseason game, and finally as the ...

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, United States. It was founded as a normal school for teachers on July 4, 1881, by the ...

from Southeast Missouri State.

Professional career

Washington Redskins

Patterson signed with the

as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He joined their

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

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 an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the New England Patriots. He played college football for Washi ...

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 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 ...

. 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

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 Maynard Evans High School alumni