Another week, another brutal injury for the Green Bay Packers. A week after losing Defensive Player of the Year candidate ED Micah Parsons to a torn Achilles in a road loss to the Broncos, another player goes down with an Achilles injury. This time, it was TE John FitzPatrick who suffered a non-contact Achilles injury while running a route in a road loss to the Bears.
FitzPatrick isn’t the first Packers tight end to go down with a season-ending injury this year. Starting TE Tucker Kraft, who led Green Bay in receptions and receiving yards before going down, tore his ACL against the Panthers at the beginning of November. Additionally, backup TE Josh Whyle is currently out with a concussion.
That leaves former second-round pick Luke Musgrave as the only healthy tight end on the Packers roster. Whyle should return from his concussion before too long, but concussions are tricky and the medical staff will make sure he’s 100 percent cleared before allowing him to play again. In the short term, Green Bay needs to add some tight end depth as they enter the final weeks of the regular season and prepare for a potential playoff run.
Green Bay Packers HC Matt LaFleur on the Team’s Tight End Depth
GettyCHICAGO, ILLINOIS – NOVEMBER 17: Jayden Reed #11 and John FitzPatrick #86 of the Green Bay Packers celebrate after Reed’s receiving touchdown in the first quarter of a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on November 17, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
“Yeah, it’s not — it’s less than ideal,” LaFleur said on FitzPatrick’s injury during his press conference after the game. “I’m certain that [Packers GM Brian Gutekunst] and I will have some conversations, probably here on the plane. And in regards for what we’ve got to do, I feel like we’ve got some guys capable on our [practice] squad, and so we’ll take a look at that and we’ll come up with a solution.”
The Packers currently employ TEs Drake Dabney and McCallan Castles on their practice squad. Both are undrafted rookies and neither have ever caught a pass in an NFL game. It’s likely one or both will be called up to the active roster in FitzPatrick’s stead, and they may play critical snaps down the stretch of the season.
Alternatively, Green Bay could sign a tight end off another team’s practice squad. But depth around the league is sure to be thin, and those players won’t have been in the Packers’ system since the summer. It’s a tough spot, for sure.
The Green Bay Packers are Suddenly in a Precarious Playoff Position
With Saturday’s loss in Chicago, the Packers remain as the No. 7 seed in the NFC. Except they are now a game and a half behind the Bears in the NFC North and just a game and a half up on the Lions for the NFC’s final wildcard berth (pending Detroit’s game against the Steelers on Sunday).
Green Bay controls their own destiny for the playoffs. With their remaining games against the Ravens and the Vikings, and they will be the No. 7 seed at worst (and could potentially climb higher). Lose one or both, and the Packers will be at the mercy of what the Lions and 49ers do over the remainder of their games.
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