Who Should I Start? Stephen Carlson or John FitzPatrick

Saturday, September 28, 9:17 PM

The Chicago Bears placed tight end Stephen Carlson (collarbone) on injured reserve Saturday ahead of their Week 4 home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. Carlson, who was just signed from the team's practice squad this past Tuesday, suffered a serious collarbone injury during Thursday's practice and will now miss at least the next four contests. The earliest he is eligible to return will be Nov. 3 -- Chicago's Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals. It's a crushing blow for the 27-year-old who was slated for his first NFL action since his time back in 2020 with the Cleveland Browns. The Bears will roll out their usual three-man tight-end rotation, with Cole Kmet set to take the majority of the snaps and Gerald Everett and Marcedes Lewis working in behind him.

Tuesday, April 15, 7:32 PM

Free agent tight end John FitzPatrick has re-signed with the Green Bay Packers on an undisclosed contract, according to the team. The former Georgia Bulldog will serve his second stint with the squad after kicking off his career with the Atlanta Falcons for two seasons. FitzPatrick has appeared in 18 games over the prior two seasons but has only caught two passes for 14 yards on two targets. He has yet to garner a start and logged just 91 snaps across both campaigns on offense. However, he also played a good chunk of special teams snaps. The 25-year-old is unlikely to make an impact on the field this year, with fellow tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft dominating playing time. FitzPatrick will provide Green Bay with more depth in 2025.