John FitzPatrick’s Big Chance With Packers Arrives

Inactive for his first two games with the Packers, tight end John FitzPatrick’s opportunity appears to be at hand.

Former Georgia Bulldogs tight end John FitzPatrick could make his Green Bay Packers debut at Jacksonville on Sunday. / Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer via Imagn Content Services, LLC

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With Luke Musgrave on injured reserve for at least a couple more weeks and Tuesday’s release of veteran Andrew Beck, John FitzPatrick is the next man up at tight end for the Green Bay Packers.

The Packers signed FitzPatrick off the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad on Oct. 10, and he was inactive the last two weeks while he learned the offense. With the release of Beck, who was out of practice-squad elevations, the Packers will move forward with Tucker Kraft, Ben Sims and FitzPatrick until Musgrave returns.

“He’s actually looked good,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said last week. “Very intelligent guy in the meeting room. But he runs well, he catches well. I think it’s only going to be a matter of time before he gets a bigger role in our offense.”

FitzPatrick was born in New York but spent most of his life living near Atlanta. He played his college ball at Georgia and started his NFL career with his home-state Falcons as the team’s sixth-round pick in 2022.

After playing in nine games for the Falcons in his career – all in 2023 – going to Green Bay means a fresh start and a drastic change of scenery.

“I really enjoyed my time there, but I’m excited about this next chapter,” FitzPatrick said.

Helping ease the transition is the number of his former teammates in the Packers’ locker room with linebacker Quay Walker, safety Javon Bullard, defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and cornerback Eric Stokes.

“We all sit close to each other in the team meetings,” FitzPatrick said.

FitzPatrick was part of Georgia’s national championship team in 2021. Before the season, he broke bones in both feet.

“We were doing like a team run, offseason training drill and I went to cut and felt a pop in my right foot,” he said. “Didn’t think much of it and then, later in that practice, felt something in my left. Did X-rays and they said it was Jones fractures.

“It wasn’t great but it was manageable. Just a pain-tolerance thing. It affected me with some lateral stuff but, as far as running straight, I was fine. And then just got them fixed after the season.”

By playing through the injuries and having the surgeries after the season – the day after the season for his right foot and four weeks later on his left foot – FitzPatrick didn’t go through pre-draft training and ultimately spent his rookie season in Atlanta on injured reserve.

There were no regrets, though.

“At that point, all I wanted to do was win,” he said. “We had a great team and, thankfully, we won it all, we won the natty. It was worth it to wait and get it fixed after the season.”

Listed by the team at 6-foot-7 and 262 pounds, FitzPatrick stands out as a big man on a team filled with big men.

He wouldn’t say blocking was his calling card, but it’s what got him on the field at Georgia, where the other tight ends were Brock Powers (first round, Raiders, in 2024) and Darnell Washington (third round, Steelers, in 2023).

“I think (at) Georgia, a big thing is if you’re willing to block, you’re going to find your way onto the field, and that’s what I learned early from some older guys in the room,” he said. “From there, just really honed in on that and wanted to get on the field, obviously, so I honed in on that and it created some opportunities for me.

“I’m never going to say I’m great at blocking or it’s my strong suit. I’m working on it every single day. There’s always something you can be better at within a block, specifically, or just any type of block.”

How long FitzPatrick will remain in Green Bay is up to him. Once Musgrave returns to action, the Packers will need to clear a roster space.

Beck – a Pro Bowl alternate with the Texans last year – couldn’t find a role with the Packers. Can FitzPatrick find a niche on a talented roster?

So far, he’s enjoyed his time.

“The Packers as a whole – tight-knit community,” he said. “Just going around the town, the city, the restaurants, you see green everywhere. You see the Packers jerseys, which is really cool, and then as far as the people in the building, everyone’s really driven. They just want to win, which I’m all about and I’m excited to be here.”

More Green Bay Packers News

On Sunday, Xavier McKinney will play a starring role for the #Packers at Jacksonville, where Darnell Savage will make his fifth start for the Jaguars.

Words can't describe how much better the Packers are at safety, though I tried here.https://t.co/oaYCbupEEZ

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 23, 2024

What channel for Packers-Jaguars | Packers-Jaguars matchups | On SI NFL Power Rankings | Consensus NFL Power Rankings | Latest playoff standings | Jeff Hafley brought the heat on C.J. Stroud | The unsung hero from Sunday | Packers release Matt Orzech* | Three Overreactions from Packers-Texans | Josh Jacobs out of the record book | Rashan Gary busts loose | Packers did what great teams do