It’s been a wild week for tight end J.P. Holtz.
He made his NFL debut Sunday, got waived by the Redskins on Tuesday, was on the verge of signing back with them as a practice squad player Wednesday, but got claimed and was in the Bears’ locker room Thursday morning.
“It’s been crazy, to say the least,” Holtz said. “But I’m happy I got the call to come to Chicago and I couldn’t be happier to be here. I’m gonna put my head down and work.”
Holtz celebrated his son’s first birthday Wednesday in Washington, then his agent called with news that he’d be joining the Bears.
He caught the first available flight, but storms in the Chicago area delayed his arrival until 3:30 a.m. He slept a few hours at a hotel, then headed to the facility for introductions.
“Just trying to learn as much as possible right now and get the concepts down and get to work,” Holtz said. “Every offense is pretty similar, just different terminology. I’ve just gotta get in my playbook and study.”
It helped to see one familiar face. Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski and Holtz faced off as Pittsburgh-area high school players.
Holtz believes he can be up to speed in time for the game Sunday, though it’s unlikely that will be necessary. The Bears are waiting until shortly before game time to determine Trey Burton’s status, and they have three other tight ends on the roster: Ben Braunecker, Adam Shaheen and Bradley Sowell.
Holtz, 26, is in his fourth season after breaking in with the Browns in 2016 as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Pittsburgh.
He spent most his first three seasons on the Browns’ and Redskins’ practice squads before finally making the team in Washington this year. He played 14 snaps, all on special teams, in his first game.