Matt Patricia doesn't commit to Adrian Peterson playing in Week 1
The Detroit Lions officially introduced veteran running back Adrian Peterson as the club's new signing on Monday, but head coach Matt Patricia didn't commit to playing the future Hall of Famer when the Lions face the Chicago Bears on Sunday.
"We'll see," Patricia said when asked about Peterson potentially taking the field in Week 1, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.
"We're fortunate to bring him on board," Patricia added. "It's early. I have a lot of respect for Adrian Peterson. I've played against him for a long time. He's just a phenomenal player."
In a corresponding roster move, Detroit placed Bo Scarbrough on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the first three weeks of the campaign. D'Andre Swift, selected by the Lions with the 35th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, missed handfuls of practices with a lingering leg injury.
The Washington Football Team surprisingly included Peterson among the team's final roster cuts last week even though the 35-year-old averaged 4.3 yards per carry on 211 attempts last season. Peterson is reuniting with offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, whom he played under while with the Minnesota Vikings.
"So that's always a good draw, when you have that sort of production in a particular offensive scheme," Patricia explained about that relationship. "Also, being familiar with the type of offense that we run, him being able to come in without a training camp and step right in and hopefully try to contribute is I think a big factor that I think gave us a little bit of an advantage."
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