The Denver Broncos addressed their thin running back room on Tuesday by adding a veteran to the practice squad. Jaret Patterson was signed following a successful tryout with the team.
RJ Harvey was placed on injured reserve last week with an ankle injury, joining Tyler Badie, who was previously placed on IR with a thumb injury. Badie is not eligible to return until after Week 12 and Harvey is not eligible to return until after Week 13. That left Jonah Coleman and J.K. Dobbins as the only backs on the 53-man roster.
Though Coleman came up big against the Chiefs last week, the Broncos knew they needed more. Cody Schrader was elevated from the practice squad, but he likely won't see the field too often outside of an emergency situation.
Patterson
comes into a situation where he could be asked to contribute quickly.
4 things for Broncos fans to know about Jaret Patterson
Patterson is a well-traveled running back
Undrafted out of Buffalo in 2021, Patterson began his career with the Washington Football Team. The Broncos will be his sixth NFL team and the third team he's played on in 2026.
After bouncing back and forth between Washington and the Los Angeles Chargers, Patterson has been on the practice squads of both the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns this season. Both of those were short stints, which is why he was available to be signed by the Broncos.
Career stats include 500 yards rushing, 3 TDs
Patterson played in all 17 games for Washington in 2021 but since then, he has appeared in only 10 games total. For his career, he's gained 503 yards on the ground and scored three touchdowns, but he has a respectable 4.0 average yards per carry.
Impressive college career
Despite a fairly quiet professional career, Patterson posted huge numbers in college and still was an unknown entering the draft. Here is a list of records he set while in college.
Patterson is Buffalo's all-time leader in rushing yards in a single season (1,799) and a single game (409). He is also the school's career leader in rushing touchdowns (52) as well as the leader for a single season (19) and a single game (8).
When he rushed for 409 yards against Kent State on November 28, 2020, it was the second-most rushing yards in a game in NCAA history. Only Samaje Perine of Oklahoma, who rushed for 427 yards in 2014, had more.
In addition, the eight rushing touchdowns he scored in that game tied a record for most touchdowns in a game held by former Broncos fullback Howard Griffith, which was also matched by Kalen Ballage in 2016. Factoring in the yards and touchdowns Patterson had in that game, you can make the argument that it's the greatest game for a running back in college football history.
Bahamas Bowl MVP
Aside from that big game, the highlight of Patterson's college career was being named Most Valuable Player of the 2019 Bahamas Bowl in which he rushed for 173 yards and two touchdowns, helping the Bulls win their first bowl game in program history, a 31-9 victory over Charlotte.
Patterson could be activated to the Broncos' game-day roster at any time between now and Week 12 as the team waits for Badie and Harvey to return.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 4 things to know about the Broncos’ new running back
