A dark cloud was cast over one of the Washington Football Team's feel-good stories of the preseason Monday night, with a cryptic tweet from rookie running back Jaret Patterson.
Patterson, a local Prince George's County native who went undrafted out of Buffalo, has grown into a fan favorite since signing with his hometown team, especially after earning a roster spot with a strong preseason showing. But the underdog has seen little playing time in two regular season games since, receiving just two touches which he turned into nine yards — and now fans worry he may never get his chance to reach his potential.
Compounding fan concern, Patterson's tweet came only hours after Washington reportedly brought in running backs D'Onta Foreman and Ryquell Armstead for workouts (along with kickers Chris Blewitt and Alex Kessman, defensive lineman John Daka, and linebacker De'Jon Harris) on Monday.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera confirmed to The Sports Junkies on Tuesday morning that they had brought in players at these positions.
Compounding that even further, by Tuesday afternoon, Washington's roster was still short a player, sitting at 52, leaving more intrigue about what the team planned to do with one (or more) roster spots.
Washington reporter JP Finlay attempted to clear up some of the confusion on 106.7 The Fan on Tuesday afternoon, prefacing his findings by saying, "Jaret Patterson had a tweet last night that got a lot of people kind of worried/wondering what was going on, etcetera."
"Like most of us do, there was a pretty major reaction on social media," he said. "And, depending on how you read that, it could seem ominous. Or, like, at least it seemed like something is about to change, right? And then you couple that with the news yesterday that Washington worked out a running back, D'Onta Foreman..."
"I dug into this a little bit last night, made some texts, made a phone call," Finlay said. "I expect... Patterson's role is going nowhere. He's doing well. The team's happy with him. I do think the team liked having a veteran running back on its practice squad, and I think when the Raiders claimed Peyton Barber, I'm not sure that the Washington Football Team was thrilled Barber got claimed. But that's the risk you run."
Washington did well with the veterans it got through to its practice squad after making final roster cuts at the end of August. And while Barber, who played a key role for Washington in 2020, was among them, he only lasted there for a short time, as he was claimed off Washington's practice squad by the Las Vegas Raiders three days later.
Finlay believes Washington would feel more at ease with a veteran running back on its practice squad to replace the 27-year-old Barber, of which it currently has none.
"That leads me to believe that perhaps they're looking at another running back with some experience to get on their practice squad," he explained on 106.7 The Fan. "Because, listen, I've had folks tell me they weren't thrilled when Peyton Barber got claimed off the practice squad, and now they've worked somebody out."
"I think they want a veteran RB on their practice squad," he said. "Especially considering Covid concerns and how, at any given moment, if somebody pops, you can lose a whole room kind of thing. But for everybody concerned about Jaret Patterson's role, they like him. So I don't think people should read too much into a tweet."
"I think he's just happy," Finlay added of Patterson. "I think he's thrilled with where he is and knows how much he can do."
"I look at that and don't see something ominous," he said, "but I do believe people overreact on social media."
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