While Luke Musgrave works his way through a nagging ankle injury, the Green Bay Packers are bringing in some exterior help at tight end.
They’re signing John FitzPatrick off of the Atlanta Falcons’ practice squad, according to ESPN. He’ll count toward their 53-man roster—an indication that he could wind up being a part of their long-term plans at the position.
With this signing, the Packers are one player over their roster limit. Assuming Musgrave’s ankle remains an issue, he could be a candidate for injured reserve, which would sideline him for the Packers’ next four games. It’d be the second time in as many seasons that he’s been sent to injured reserve.
FitzPatrick, a former sixth-round pick of the Falcons, is the fifth Georgia Bulldog on the Packers’ roster, joining Eric Stokes, Devonte Wyatt, Quay Walker and Javon Bullard. He’s also the fourth tight end on the active roster, alongside Musgrave, ascending phenom Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims. The Packers have Messiah Swinson on the practice squad and Tyler Davis on the reserve/injured list.
The 6-7, 250-pound FitzPatrick has just one career catch to his name for 12 yards. He spent the entirety of his 2022 rookie campaign on injured reserve before playing 18 offensive snaps in his sophomore season. That’s in addition to the 83 snaps he played on special teams across nine games. He was released by the Falcons this past summer before re-signing onto their practice squad.
Musgrave was a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice of the week, so there’s a possibility that he aggravated the existing injury. Either that or the Packers feel that FitzPatrick is an upgrade over Sims, who caught a touchdown pass last season to go with four receptions for 21 yards across 17 games. General manager Brian Gutekunst has adamantly expressed his desire to improve at every position if he has the opportunity, so the addition of FitzPatrick could be nothing more than rounding out the roster.
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