Despite a dominant junior season, Jaret Patterson was not among the running backs selected in this year’s draft. But he has a UDFA deal. The Buffalo prospect agreed to terms with Washington, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
The 5-foot-9 back torched MAC competition in 2020, averaging 7.6 yards per carry and clearing the 1,000-yard barrier in just six games. Patterson matched his 19-touchdown output of his sophomore season, doing so in seven fewer games.
Patterson reeled off an eight-touchdown, 409-yard performance against Kent State in 2020. For his career, the productive back totaled 52 rushing TDs and 3,884 yards on the ground in three Buffalo seasons. He will join a Washington team that has been unable to establish backfield continuity in recent years.
While Washington has misfired on a couple of backs over the past several years, the team did do well to identify Antonio Gibson in the 2020 third round. Veterans Peyton Barber, Lamar Miller and J.D. McKissic are also on Washington’s roster, though Gibson profiles as the leader of the team’s 2021 backfield.
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