Washington Football Team: Jaret Patterson has earned a roster spot

Undrafted running back Jaret Patterson has earned a roster spot on the Washington Football Team with his standout performances this preseason.

Every preseason, we see a few players stick out. And every preseason, we see fans clamoring for them to get big roles on the team. It’s a time-honored tradition for Washington Football Team fans — right up there with wanting the backup or third-string quarterback to be the starter. This year, Jaret Patterson has caught everyone’s eye.

Now, in the past, this spot isn’t always deserved. We’ll see someone make one play in practice and for whatever reason, fans latch onto them. They’ll cry and say he needs to be a starter, only for that player to get cut — and sometimes not even find another team to take him on.

There are times where it makes sense though. Cam Sims has been a nice contributor, he was once in this spot. Just last year, Kamren Curl made waves, got fan support and quickly became one of the best defensive rookies in football

Jaret Patterson looks to be on that side of the situation. An undrafted rookie out of Buffalo, Patterson got fans excited after making some standout plays in camp. It also helped that he was a hometown kid, even going to high school in Maryland. Then came the preseason, and this is where Patterson has stood out: He’s actually producing.

Jaret Patterson has been a preseason star for the Washington Football Team

In the first preseason game of the year for Washington, Patterson led the team with 10 carries for 40 yards. He also led the team with four receptions for 30 yards. Overall, a really solid game that proved just how versatile he is.

Then in week two of the preseason, Patterson took it a step further. This time, the 21-year-old led the team with 16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. He also tied for the team lead with three receptions, picking up 25 yards in the process.

A few things stand out. First of all, Washington is using Patterson a lot. That tells you that they like something about him, and want to see what he’s got. Second, he’s capitalizing on that workload. Patterson isn’t just putting up decent numbers because of heavy usage, he’s putting up good numbers with that usage.

Now, where exactly does he fit in? Washington has a stud in Antonio Gibson. Meanwhile, J.D. McKissic is an incredible number two who had a phenomenal season last year. That’s it though, no other spot should be guaranteed.

If they decide to go with four running backs, Patterson should already have a spot locked down. If they go with three, he might still need to ward off Peyton Barber. Let’s be honest though, Barber did not have a good season last year, and he has not been very productive this preseason either.

Barber does have a rushing touchdown but is averaging under three yards per carry. He averaged 2.7 yards per carry last year, by the way.

There is another talent that Patterson brings that could help him make the team. Anyone that has watched Washington play football for the last few seasons will tell you that they struggle bad when it comes to returning kicks and punts. A lot of muffs and a lot of minuscule returns.

No one’s even expecting any breakout returns anymore, they just want consistency and decent returns – that’s how desperate they are. In Preseason Week 2, Patterson returned one kick for 37 yards. If he shows a talent for returning, that only makes his path to Week 1 even more clear.

Patterson is extremely young and has shown he can be an asset in both the running and passing games. Don’t expect him to have some major role in the offense — at least not right away. But he has definitely done more than enough to earn a roster spot. If the Washington Football Team wants the best 53 players to start the year, Jaret Patterson needs to be on the list.