Unclaimed on waivers, Jace Sternberger will nevertheless receive another opportunity shortly after his Packers exit. The Seahawks are signing the young tight end to a practice squad deal, according to his agency (on Twitter).
The Packers cut the 2019 third-round pick Tuesday. He will be the second recent mid-round pick to catch on with the Seahawks’ practice squad, following ex-Raiders fourth-round linebacker Tanner Muse.
Sternberger received a two-game suspension to start the season, and Green Bay opted not to activate him ahead of Week 3. The Packers did save one of their two IR-return spots for Sternberger in 2019, when teams had just two such transactions at their disposals, but not much has materialized statistically for the Texas A&M product. Sternberger has just 12 receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown — all in 2020 — in his career.
The 6-foot-4 tight end posted a strong college season to land on the draft radar, catching 48 passes for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns in his lone season with the Aggies. Prior to transferring to College Station and earning All-America acclaim, Sternberger played at Kansas and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. He will relocate again in hopes of igniting a stalled NFL career.
The Seahawks have three tight ends — Gerald Everett, Will Dissly and second-year UDFA Tyler Mabry — on their active roster, and Colby Parkinson resides on IR rehabbing his second significant foot injury. The team tried multiple ex-college basketball players as P-squad tight ends this offseason, but neither lasted long. Sternberger does have basketball experience, perhaps appealing to the Seahawks, but none of it came in college.
What is it with the Seahawks and tight ends
Yeah, I agree. They seem to be very tight with them. Actually, the new OC is expected to favor the double tightend formation.
Field stretching WRs who can actually catch can make intermediate route TEs pretty darn effective. Sum is greater than the parts.
The NFL is a meritocracy. Your draft round matters only until the ink is dry on your initial contract.