Not going to lie, I really liked Allen Lazard during the preseason so I am kind of excited to see him make the primary squad. It’s bittersweet though because the move comes after the Packers have placed TE Jace Sternberger on the injured reserve due to an ankle injury in the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Packers placed tight end Jace Sternberger on injured reserve, a source told ESPN's Field Yates. Sternberger had an ankle injury and was seen walking through the locker room with a boot on his left foot. The third-round pick was probably fourth on… https://t.co/Mgs1W0A9z6
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 3, 2019
I'm told the #Packers are promoting WR Allen Lazard to the 53-man roster to fill Jace Sternberger's spot with the rookie TE heading to IR.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) September 3, 2019
Sternberger was nabbed by the Packers with a 75th pick this past draft and was quite productive for Texas A&M during his short tenure for a team that was known for heavy utilization of their tight ends with 48 receptions for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 10 TDs is a record for a tight end at Texas A&M. Sternberger committed to the NFL draft without a senior year at A&M. He is still very likely to do great things with the Packers but just not anytime soon.
As for Lazard, he is a WR out of Iowa State that, unlike Sternberger, has a 4-year track record in college that was consistent and had few injuries. He is the really talented underdog that people like to get behind as he was picked up by the Packers from the Jaguars practice squad in December of last year. We’ve covered his performance during preseason and the 6′ 5″, 227 lbs receiver shows a lot of motivation and talent.
As much as I rooted for the kid, I expected him to be well behind Graham and Tonyan (my fav TE on the roster). Two guys can return from IR after half a season, who knows, maybe one of them is Sternberger. But if someone gets cut from the 53 to bring in someone from IR, the latter guy better be ready to contribute.
I’m not sure if Sternberger was designated to be eligible to be brought back, but i would defer to our resident expert Howard on such matters.
Good morning, Teams do not have to name players (who made the initial 53) designated for return when they go on IR. Teams can name the two players after the teams see how rehab is going. I believe a player can return to practice in six weeks (if capable) and can be activated after 8 weeks on IR.
I believe teams “designate for return” when they activate off the IR list. That rule changed about 2 years ago. I believe when they added the 2nd player that could come off IR.
GO PACK!!
Idk howard…i just remember hearing on sportstalk that he wasn’t designated for return. I didn’t know you had to designate, so i just believed it as i heard it more than one time. As always, i usually yield to your expertise. Maybe your right, or maybe you’ve been hittin the sauce again, i just don’t know. I’m not accusing you of anything, i rather just sit and wait giving you the benefit of the doubt until the toxicology report comes back.
:-). “In 2012, the league began allowing teams to designate one player, at the beginning of his IR stint, to be eligible to return. In 2016, the rule was again altered no longer requiring teams to identify said player in advance. Moving forward, the NFL will likely change the rule again, allowing two players to come off of IR.”
The above rule change to not require identifying player to return from IR was made in March of 2016. In May of 2017 the NFL added the second player to come off IR. Both of those players do not have to be identified at time of placement on the IR.
How are things going in recovery? Well I hope.