The other players eliminated were wide receivers Marcus Kemp and Zion Bowens, linebackers Ferrod Gardner and Milo Eifler, inside offensive lineman Aaron Monteiro, defensive tackles Isaiah Mack and Anthony Montalvo Jr., cornerbacks DJ Stirgus and DaMarcus Fields, safety Joshua Kalu and former Bowie State defensive end Joshua Pryor.
Washington's roster now has 77 players, and the team must cut 24 more to bring the total to 53 by Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET deadline. It seems unlikely that many, if any, of the players released Monday will be reinstated in the Commanders' 16-man training squad.
Patterson, who grew up in Prince George's County as a die-hard Washington fan, always had a strong shot at making the roster. At camp, the Commanders had three clear top running backs (Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson and Chris Rodriguez) and two seasoned veterans to add to the practice squad (Jonathan Williams and Derrick Gore).
In 2021, Washington signed Patterson from Buffalo and he quickly became a fan favorite due to his roots and smaller stature. he is only 1.70 m tall. As a rookie, Patterson did his part — he played in 17 games and had 68 carries for 266 yards and two touchdowns — but he spent most of his sophomore season on the practice team. This offseason, the team brought in a new offensive coordinator, Eric Bieniemy, who had no connection with Patterson, and signed Gore, who briefly shone for Bieniemy in Kansas City in 2021.
At camp, Patterson felt himself slipping down the depth chart as he played cornerback while the offense rolled out their new West Coast system.
“It's frustrating,” Patterson said. “But you just can't let it get to you.”
Now Patterson hopes he impressed the 31 other teams with his performance last season. He had 16 carries for 71 yards and played all four special teams stages. If Patterson has at least three games on a team's active roster that year, he's eligible for the NFL's retirement program.
