Back from COVID, Sternberger Ready to Contribute

“I did have it but, fortunately, I didn’t really have any symptoms, and the recovery process wasn’t as difficult as some of the other people who dealt with COVID,” Jace Sternberger said.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers tight end Jace Sternberger confirmed he missed the start of training camp due to COVID-19 but called it a “blessing” that his symptoms were relatively insignificant.

“I did have it but, fortunately, I didn’t really have any symptoms, and the recovery process wasn’t as difficult as some of the other people who dealt with COVID,” Sternberger said after Sunday’s practice, the seventh of training camp. “So, I was very fortunate from that aspect, but Green Bay did a great job of making sure I was ready to be back, and we followed all the right protocols.”

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Sternberger, a third-round pick last year, has a golden opportunity in front of him in a tight end room filled by 15-year pro Marcedes Lewis, unproven Robert Tonyan and rookie Josiah Deguara. There’s not much time, though, to grab hold of a major role. Sternberger was added to the team’s COVID-19 list at the start of training camp on July 30. By the time he was cleared on Aug. 17, he had missed only one practice but all of the pre-camp strength and conditioning.

“Fortunately, I was able to sit in on the meetings virtually through Zoom,” he said. “It was frustrating not being able to be out there but, at the same time, you don’t want to be somewhere if you’re sick, and you don’t want to spread the sickness to your teammates. I was hammering the details and controlling what I can control. Being able to be at the house and still have my iPad and still being able to study, that was just my way of holding myself accountable.”

Sternberger caught 48 passes for 832 yards (17.3 average) in 2018, his one and only season at Texas A&M. The offseason release of Jimmy Graham, who was the main target among the tight ends in the passing game last season despite his underwhelming body of work, created a 622-snap, 60-target void atop the depth chart.

The opportunity is there. Can he seize it?

Last year, Sternberger’s development was stunted by a concussion early in training camp and an ankle injury in the preseason finale that sent him to injured reserve. He didn’t catch a pass (one target) in six games on the active roster but grabbed three passes for 15 yards and one touchdown in the playoffs.

COVID was another setback to overcome.

“It’s one of those things you’re getting back into the groove and you’re getting back into that process,” he said. “Everything just can’t be great on the first day and stuff. The biggest battle isn’t necessarily executing the plays or doing that, it’s how you handle it mentally off the field. Can you stay calm throughout this process because there are going to be mess-ups, there are going to be this and that. It’s being able to stay positive and direct that energy to a more positive situation and worry about the next day and worrying about getting better. That’s my biggest thing right now realizing – like I said it’s not an excuse – but realizing I did miss a little time and now there’s no time to make it back up. You just have to take care of business end of the day.”