Dean Patterson IV led the team in catches, tied for the team lead in yards and secured the longest play of the night Saturday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Kansas City Chiefs, 16-15, in a rematch of Super Bowl LV, a game the Lutz, Florida native remembers well.
"My senior year of high school – the Super Bowl year – I was here with all the festivities in my Chris Godwin jersey, mind you. I'm in the indoor kicking field goals. It was one of the little games they had around the city," said Patterson. "Being in the nosebleeds of that game, cheering – so, so happy. I loved to see Tampa like that, and I really want to be able to get Tampa jumping and hype. I'm definitely excited for the team."
Now Godwin's teammate, Patterson, who needed a tryout to earn a spot on the Buccaneers' 90-man roster, caught six passes for 56 yards on the night. His lunging 24-yarder set up the game's first touchdown as the Bucs erased a 9-0 second-half deficit.
With the ball just across midfield early in the third quarter, quarterback Jalon Daniels rolled to his right before lofting a pass to Patterson, who had found a soft spot in the Kansas City defense. Patterson leapt for the ball down the sideline, secured it and got two feet down in bounds before he fell to the ground.
The catch helped set up Daniels' two-yard touchdown pass to tight end Ko Kieft six plays later.
By the final whistle, Patterson had accounted for over a third of the Bucs' yards through the air and had the attention of his head coach.
"I thought he showed up," said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles. "He did a great job with the yards after catch, turning short gains, short pass plays into some gains right there. He did a very good job."
Patterson joined the Bucs after going undrafted earlier this year. In four seasons at Florida International, Patterson recorded 1,406 yards and nine touchdowns through the air, in addition to two on the ground, including a 2024 season that saw him go for 709 yards and nine touchdowns from scrimmage. From there, he transferred to Georgia Tech where he put up 150 yards on eight catches in his lone season with the Yellow Jackets.
After going undrafted, Patterson was one of four players the Bucs signed following a 40-player tryout during rookie minicamp. After some strong performances at training camp, Patterson led the team with five catches in Tampa Bay's preseason opener against the New York Jets, picking up 24 yards.
Patterson said Wide Receiver Coach Bryan McClendon deserves much of the credit for his development this offseason.
"Yeah, 'B-Mac' does a great job developing receivers," said Patterson. "He is pushing me every day. Truly I couldn't wish for a better coach, honestly."
Saturday, he made his Raymond James Stadium debut as the Bucs moved to 2-0 on the preseason. After leading the team in catches for a second straight week, Patterson said his performance was even more special coming so close to home.
"Man, it's a huge blessing. I had a lot of family here – I wanted to be able to show out and be able to represent my city," said Patterson. "Like I said, a lot of people don't really get these opportunities, so to be able to have that opportunity, I want to be able to capitalize off of it."
