FLOWERY BRANCH — John FitzPatrick tried to play it cool Monday.
The former Marist and Georgia standout was at his parents’ house trying to relax while waiting on the news about if he made the Falcons’ initial 53-man roster.
“It’s not a phone call,” FitzPatrick said Wednesday. “It’s a text. You’re just kind of waiting. You’ve got the ringer on high, checking your connection. Making sure that it’s all good.”
Then finally, “bing, ping, bing, ping.”
“I got the text from coach Art (Smith) and that we had workouts (on Tuesday),” FitzPatrick said. “Just come in for workouts, and you’re good to go. A sigh of, I guess, relief.”
It’s been a long journey for FitzPatrick, who was drafted in the sixth round (213th overall) of the 2022 draft and spent all of last season on injured reserve after having surgery on both of his feet.
“Last year was extremely difficult just being on injured reserve all year,” FitzPatrick said. “Just kind of messing with your confidence a little bit. You want to be out there helping out the team, but you know it’s not time yet. You’re not healthy.”
FitzPatrick is grateful that the Falcons drafted him knowing that he was injured.
“I’m just really appreciative of the people upstairs (at Falcons headquarters) for knowing what type of player that I am and trusting in that,” FitzPatrick said. “A lot of teams saw two broken feet going into the draft process and looked the other way.”
Some teams may not have wanted to invest in FitzPatrick’s long rehabilitation after the surgeries.
“It’s a blessing to be here,” FitzPatrick said. “Really the coaching staff taking care of me last year. Trusting in the medical staff and just getting right. And this training camp, just being able to play fast and play loose, help out and contribute.”
Smith, a former tight ends coach, and tight ends coach Justin Peelle have monitored closely FitzPatrick’s growth and development.
“There’s a lot that goes into it – where he’s at,” Smith said. “John’s had a good camp. He’s taken a lot of reps for us. We think the future is bright with John, and he’s got to continue to go earn that.”
Once healthy, FitzPatrick worked to improve his speed.
“When I first started running, I felt so slow,” FitzPatrick said. “I was like gosh, this going to take a second. I was already here. So, going through training camp injured was a difficult process because I didn’t know what was going to happen last August.
“You kind of ride the emotions. You try not to, but that happens sometimes. I tried to get back to where I was. You trust in the processs that they laid out. Trusting in their plan. Eventually, the confidence came back.”
He can pinpoint when that confidence came back.
“For me, that went back to OTAs, when we were running around and doing seven-on-seven (passing drills),” FitzPatrick said. “I was running around and catching balls, and it felt good. I was training January through April, and I think that kind of allowed for the success in OTAs.”
That carried over into training camp, where FitzPatrick, who’s 6-foot-7 and 255 pounds, started strong, had a dip and then finished strong.
He didn’t play in the exhibition opener against Miami, but in the second game against Cincinnati, he played 27 offensive snaps (39%) and caught two of three targets for 30 yards, including a 25-yard grab.
FitzPatrick received his first NFL start in the exhibition finale against the Steelers. He played 40 offensive snaps (68%) and caught one of four targets for 5 yards.
The Falcons had six tight ends on the roster with Kyle Pitts, Jonnu Smith, MyCole Pruitt, Parker Hesse, Tucker Fisk and FitzPatrick. Most teams keep just three, but the Falcons have kept four under Smith.
The Falcons didn’t want to expose FitzPatrick to waivers after his strong exhibition season. Hesse and Fisk were released and re-signed to the practice squad once they cleared waivers.
“But I was confident,” FitzPatrick said. “I know what type of player I am. I have a certain view of myself as a player. I won’t let other people’s opinion dictate how I play, or what I do out there on the field. I was confident going into it.”
FitzPatrick credits Peelle with helping him along the way.
“He’s been great,” FitzPatrick said. “We’re with him every day in the tight end (meeting) room. He’s going over the routes and schemes. Kind of using his knowledge from his 10 years in the league … and how it can translate onto the field.”
The Falcons likely are not finished playing roster roulette, but FitzPatrick is ready to accept a role with the team.
“(I will) definitely will be able to contribute on special teams,” FitzPatrick said. “As far as my role on the offense, I like the way that coach Rags (offensive coordinator Dave Ragone) talks about being positionless. I’m not going to corner myself into any boxes, saying that I’m a blocking tight end or a receiving tight end. I like to say I can do it all, and whatever the coaches ask me, I’m going to go do it.”
Now healthy, the sky is the limit for FitzPatrick. He wants to pattern his game after Rob Gronkowski, who terrorized NFL defenses from 2010-21 for the Patriots (2010-18) and Buccaneers (2020-21).
“I’ve always loved watching Gronk play,” FitzPatrick said. “He’s a big guy, 6-7, 265 and he played big. He doesn’t need to try to be cute about it. He just plays big. He runs through people. That’s what I try to do. ... Big guys play big. That’s what was said back in college, and that translates here.”
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