The Cleveland Browns released running back Jaret Patterson from the practice squad on Tuesday as part of a series of roster moves heading into their Week 8 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced.
The team also released safety John Saunders while re-signing defensive end Nadame Tucker to the practice squad.
Patterson, a 5-foot-8, 195-pound undrafted free agent out of Buffalo, had joined the Browns’ practice squad on October 7 amid injuries in the backfield. He was never activated for a game during his brief Cleveland stint.
With running back Dylan Sampson returning from injured reserve, Quinshon Judkins available, and additional depth from players such as Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime, the Browns no longer required Patterson’s services.
In his NFL career, Patterson has appeared in 27 games with the Washington Commanders (2021-22) and Los Angeles Chargers (primarily 2025), totaling 126 carries for 503 yards and three touchdowns, along with 13 receptions for 81 yards.
He has also contributed on special teams as a kick returner. After stops with Washington, the Chargers, and a brief period with the Minnesota Vikings, the Browns practice-squad signing marked his latest attempt to stick in the league.
Patterson’s professional career has been modest compared with the explosive production that defined his college days at Buffalo in the Mid-American Conference.
From 2018 to 2020, he rushed for 3,884 yards and 52 touchdowns on 636 carries.
His signature performance came on November 28, 2020, against Kent State, when he ran for 409 yards and eight touchdowns on 36 carries in a 70-41 Buffalo victory.
That total of eight rushing touchdowns tied the FBS single-game record set by Illinois’ Howard Griffith in 1990, while the 409 yards ranked as the second-highest single-game rushing total in FBS history, trailing only Samaje Perine’s 427 for Oklahoma in 2014.
The Kent State game capped a historic two-game stretch. The week before, against Bowling Green, Patterson had rushed for 301 yards and four touchdowns.
His combined 710 yards over those consecutive games set an FBS record, surpassing the previous mark of 668 by Texas’ Ricky Williams in 1998. Patterson and Williams remain the only players in FBS history with back-to-back 300-yard rushing games. He also set an FBS record with 12 rushing touchdowns across those two contests.
At Buffalo, Patterson owns numerous school records, including the single-game rushing yards mark (409), the single-season rushing yards record (1,799 in 2019), and multiple single-season touchdown marks.
His college highlights earned him All-MAC honors and the 2020 MAC Offensive Player of the Year award, underscoring the gap between his dominant Group of Five production and his more limited NFL opportunities.
With the Browns moving on, Patterson returns to the free-agent market seeking another chance.
