It's one thing to make an NFL roster as an undrafted free agent, but to perform well enough to earn a shoutout from Barry Sanders? Jaret Patterson has had himself quite the summer.
Sanders, arguably the greatest running back of all time, reacted to Patterson making Washington's 53-man roster early Wednesday morning and wished the young back luck. Of course, as long as he doesn't do any damage to the Lions.
In just 10 seasons in the NFL, Sanders ran for 15,269 yards and 99 touchdowns, which at the time of his surprise retirement was good for second-most rushing yards in NFL history behind Walter Payton.
Like Patterson, Sanders was also an undersized back who made up for his lack of size with elite quickness and instincts as a runner. Patterson has a long way to go before reaching the level of a player like Sanders, but there are worse things than having a Hall of Famer in your corner.
Patterson now figures to be Washington's third running back behind Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic and will get his first taste of regular-season, NFL football in Week 1 against the Chargers.
Washington doesn't play the Lions this year, so Sanders has nothing to worry about for now.