Washington Football Team: RB Jaret Patterson has strong NFL debut

Washington Football Team running back Jaret Patterson looked good in his NFL debut against the Patriots.

The Washington Football Team got their preseason underway Thursday night against the New England Patriots in Foxborough. They fell to the Pats 22-13, but there were plenty of positives to take from the evening. Chase Young got after things pretty quickly and nearly got an early sack on Cam Newton. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick showed that he is a clear upgrade from what Washington trotted out last season. The running back room looks a bit deeper behind Antonio Gibson, especially with the addition of Jaret Patterson.

Patterson, an undrafted free agent out of Buffalo, had ridiculously good production for the Bulls, crossing the 1,000 yard mark in every season, including 1,799 yards as a sophomore in 2019. He also had 19 touchdowns in the past two seasons and averaged over six yards per carry in his collegiate career.

Patterson got plenty of opportunities for Washington in his preseason, and NFL, debut, and made the most of it. He carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards and caught four passes for 30 yards. The numbers look modest, but Patterson played extremely well.

Patterson showed off his crisp footwork and ability to create in space, making defenders miss on multiple occasions. He made a defensive end miss in the backfield, and a linebacker on a swing pass. Patterson’s ability as a pass catcher showed up as well, as he did a great job working back to a Taylor Heinicke pass, making a great adjustment and securing a low throw.

Washington has a great running back room, and Jaret Patterson is making a case to be part of it in his rookie season. It seems like he has some work to do to climb the depth chart, but his abilities as a three down back could give him an edge going forward. He has a couple more games to prove he should move up, and if he keeps this up, snaps will likely wait for him when the regular season starts.