Tag: Jace Sternberger

Former Packers TE Jace Sternberger has cleared waivers and is now a free agent.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 22, 2021

No team claimed former Green Bay Packers tight end Jace Sternberger off of waivers on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN. The Packers released Sternberger on Tuesday.

It’s possible Sternberger could return to the Packers on the practice squad, but he might also be looking for a new opportunity after failing to make the team’s 53-man roster.

Sternberger, a third-round pick in 2019, just completed a two-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He explained the reason for his suspension during the offseason.

Over two seasons in Green Bay, Sternberger caught only 12 passes in 18 games. He played 262 snaps on offense.

Sternberger added weight this offseason in hopes of becoming a better all-around tight end for Matt LaFleur and the Packers offense, but he struggled with inconsistency and was leapfrogged by Dominique Dafney for the fourth tight end spot on the roster.

Sternberger is now free to sign with any team. Despite all the issues to start his NFL career, he still has the athletic profile and receiving talent that teams are looking for at tight end, a position with increasing value in today’s game. If Sternberger doesn’t return on the Packers practice squad, he could find a spot on another team’s practice squad to continue developing.

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The big play from the Green Bay Packers’ preseason opener was a 34-yard connection between quarterback Jordan Love and tight end Jace Sternberger, but while coaches were excited about what it showed in Love, the play wasn’t necessarily emblematic of the player on the receiving end.

The Packers are still hoping for far more consistency out of Sternberger, a third-round pick in 2019 who has played sparingly during his first two seasons and is still fighting to get into the groove within the offense.

“That one play doesn’t really describe the player. It’s more consistently what you’re putting in, day in and day out. His consistency, it’s been sporadic,” Packers tight ends coach Justin Outten said Sunday. “Whether it’s still getting used to the playbook or feeling around the line of scrimmage. He’s still having some up and down days. With the extra reps he’s getting, he’s gotta handle it a little bit better, in a sense of more video and doing the extra things outside. That’s all fixable, those things can come along.”

Outten said Sternberger has led the tight end room in reps throughout training camp, and the team is trying to get him more confident in the game both in the classroom and on the practice field.

“The confidence in it. It’s sitting in a room and understanding what to do but then going out and getting it performed,” Outten said.

Sternberger has 12 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown over his first 18 NFL games. He’s been on the field for only 262 total offensive snaps.

And he’s no higher than fourth or fifth on the depth chart at tight end during his third training camp in Green Bay.

With a two-game suspension looming to start the regular season, Sternberger can’t afford to miss a chance to impress on the field this month. He needs to stack as many positive factors on his side for when the suspension lifts in Week 3 and the Packers need to make a decision on his roster status.

There’s no better time than now.

Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan aren’t likely to play during the preseason, and Josiah Deguara is being eased back after missing most of last season with an ACL injury. The door is wide open for Sternberger, and another opportunity is coming during Saturday’s preseason game against the New York Jets.

“This is a huge preseason for him, with these three games, and just being the guy and getting as much reps as possible in these live settings. He can grow from some lessons he learned (on Saturday night) and moving forward here,” Outten said.

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Green Bay Packers tight end Jace Sternberger added weight entering his third NFL training camp.

According to coach Matt LaFleur, Sternberger hasn’t lost any speed with the weight gain, providing one potential reason for the young tight end’s strong start to camp.

“Jace has done a really nice job,” LaFleur said Friday. “He’s come in, and he’s a little bit heavier than I think he’s been in the past, but it seems like he’s been able to keep his speed up. He made some really good plays yesterday. Some really nice catches in the one-on-one period.”

The Packers list Sternberger at 6-4 and 251 pounds. He likely cut weight last year to prepare for a role as the move tight end and the potential for playing snaps in the slot, but his role never fully formed in Year 2.

More big plays this summer could help. Sternberger made a spinning one-handed catch against the coverage of safety Henry Black on Thursday.

The Packers are banking on Sternberger, a third-round pick in 2019, taking a big developmental step this summer.

“It’s going into Year 3 for Jace, so it’s a big year for him,” LaFleur said. There’s a lot expected out of him in terms of his ability to go out there and perform on a consistent basis. That’s what we’re really looking for from him. And he’s done a nice job.”

Through two seasons, Sternberger has just 12 catches for 144 yards and a touchdown while playing only 262 total offensive snaps. He was inactive for the final six games of last season, including the playoffs.

LaFleur credited Marcedes Lewis and Robert Tonyan for helping Sternberger during training camp, and tight ends coach Justin Outten is working with Sternberger on understanding the “whys” behind each and every assignment within the offense.

Snaps will be hard to find at the tight end position in Green Bay. Lewis is the primary inline tight end, providing immense value as a blocker, while Tonyan is coming off a terrific season as the primary option in the passing game. Josiah Deguara, a likely H-back, is back from a knee injury, and Dominique Dafney impressed late last season.

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— Jace (@_Jstern) June 10, 2021

A “horrible decision” stemming from a mix of anti-depressants and alcohol resulted in Jace Sternberger’s two-game suspension from the NFL.

The Green Bay Packers tight end explained the situation in a tweet posted from his official Twitter account on Thursday.

“In February, 2020 I made a horrible decision,” Sternberger wrote. “While on Anti-Depressants, I decided to drink which led me to fall asleep behind the wheel.”

The NFL suspended Sternberger for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.

“It is never okay to drink and get behind the wheel,” Sternberger added.

To help remedy the issue, Sternberger said he has been in therapy for the last 16 months.

“I will never ignore my mistakes, I have owned to my poor decision and accept the consequences,” Sternberger said.

Everyone makes mistakes, and Sternberger’s mistake was a dangerous one, but credit the young player for acknowledging the core issue and seeking help. And he hasn’t tried to hide from the consequences of his mistake.

Maybe getting over this hurdle can help propel Sternberger’s football career after a rocky start in the NFL.

As a rookie, he took a vicious hit during a joint practice with the Houston Texans, resulting in a concussion. He later suffered a significant ankle injury during the preseason. Last season, he started training camp on the COVID-19 list. Through two seasons, he’s caught only 12 passes over 18 games and 262 offensive snaps.

Now, his third season will begin on the sideline.

Sternberger will miss games against the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions to start the 2021 season. He is eligible to return in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers.

The suspension will not cause Sternberger to miss training camp or the preseason.

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The Green Bay Packers will be without third-year tight end Jace Sternberger for two games to start the 2021 season.

The NFL announced Sternberger has been suspended for two games without pay for violating the league’s policy on substance abuse.

Sternberger will miss games against the New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions. He would be eligible to return in Week 3 against the San Francisco 49ers.

Sternberger, a third-round pick of the Packers in 2019, has 12 catches for 114 yards and one touchdown over 12 games during his first two NFL seasons. He’s played only 262 offensive snaps since joining the Packers.

The suspension will not affect Sternberger’s ability to participate during the offseason, training camp or the preseason. The suspension does not begin until Week 1 of the regular season.

Sternberger will start the season on the suspended list and won’t count on the team’s 53-man roster.

After playing in just six games as a rookie, tight end Jace Sternberger will have the opportunity to play a much bigger role in the Packers’ offense in 2020. This offseason, Green Bay opted to release five-time Pro Bowler Jimmy Graham. The absence of Graham should allow Sternberger to become the primary pass-catching tight end for the Packers.

However, the former Texas A&M star’s sophomore season in Green Bay didn’t get off to the best start. While most of his teammates were beginning training camp, Sternberger was forced to sit out because he tested positive for COVID-19.

He spoke to reporters about his time on the COVID-19 reserve list.

“It was interesting me being one of the first players to test positive. I did have it,” Sternberger said on Sunday. “Fortunately, I didn’t really have any symptoms. The recovery process wasn’t as difficult as some of the other people who dealt with COVID. Green Bay did a great job of making sure that I was ready to get back.”

For a young player like Sternberger, practice reps are extremely important. Luckily, while he was on the COVID reserve list, the tight end was still able to use technology to participate in practice.

“Fortunately I was still able to sit in on the meetings through Zoom, so it was frustrating not being able to be out there, but at the same time, you don’t want to be somewhere when you are sick. I was just trying to be a good teammate and hammer in the details. It was frustrating but at the same time, you can only do so much at certain times.”

Sternberger didn’t get a ton of opportunities in his rookie season, but in the NFC Championship against the 49ers, he was able to catch his first career touchdown.

Thanks to that TD catch, Sternberger now comes into his second season with a lot of confidence.

“You play football to make the plays like that. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, and I got the signal from Aaron. But that’s the one thing about being an athlete. I feel like everyone prepares to be in the situations, those moments. It definitely was a confidence boost. Kind of reassuring myself that I am here for a reason. It for sure gave me confidence going into the next season.”

Sternberger is talented as a pass-catcher, that much is undeniable. However, if he is going to become Green Bay’s number one option at tight end, he also needs to become a great blocker. Sternberger believes that he has become a much better blocker since he got in the NFL.

“I would say that I have drastically improved. You know, just with little things like technique. Today is a prime example of you can never be satisfied, you can always do more. It’s a learning thing for me every day. I’m not necessarily the biggest guy in our position room, so with me, my technique has to be second to none.”

The Packers have made it clear that they are counting on Sternberger to have a big year. While Davante Adams is still at the top of his game, Aaron Rodgers needs more reliable targets to throw to. In 2020, Sternberger could develop into exactly the player that Rodgers and the Green Bay offense missed last year.

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The Green Bay Packers returned two more players from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday.

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, tight end Jace Sternberger and defensive lineman Treyvon Hester were both activated from the reserve list and on the field practicing for the Packers on Monday.

The Packers originally placed both Sternberger and Hester on the list on July 30. The other player added that day, kicker Mason Crosby, came off the list on Saturday.

The only two Packers players remaining on the list are long snapper Hunter Bradley and outside linebacker Greg Roberts, although Bradley has been present but not participating during the first two practices, indicating he could be close to a return.

Sternberger and Hester could both be important players for the Packers in 2020. Sternberger is in line to assume a big role as a pass-catching tight end, while Hester is a top candidate to provide depth along the defensive line.

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