Former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Lucas Patrick is extending his NFL career into its tenth season. The former UDFA, who spent five seasons with Green Bay to start his career, has signed with the Washington Commanders. He will join his fifth NFL franchise and his fourth in the past five seasons.
Washington Commanders Sign Former Green Bay Packers Offensive Lineman Lucas Patrick
Patrick was a UDFA from Duke in 2016. Patrick was only a one-year starter at Duke and spent almost all of his snaps at left guard. However, versatility was key to extending his career into year ten.
Patrick spent his first year on the practice squad, but made the roster in 2017. He started in two games, one at right guard and one at left guard. Still, he has stuck in the NFL since then.
Patrick started in four games in 2018, getting more work at right guard. In 2019, he was just a reserve, but started to get work at center.
In 2020, the Packers called on him to start in 15 games. He spent most of his time at right guard, but also got some work on the left side. He built on that by starting in 13 games the following season. However, this was at center.
With 28 starts at three different positions in two seasons, Patrick started to make a name for himself. So, he left the Packers in free agency. He signed a two-year, $8M deal with the Chicago Bears. That remains the biggest deal he has signed.
Patrick started in five games and worked at all three spots. However, he suffered a season-ending injury. He was back in 2023 and started in 15 games, all at center. However, Chicago struggled and did not attempt to retain him.
In 2024, he signed with the New Orleans Saints. He started in 10 games and got work at left guard and center. Then, last year, Patrick signed with the Cincinnati Bengals. Patrick only started in one game and was only active for six games.
He is 33 years old, did not start last year, and is coming off of an injury. That is why he was unsigned at this point. Still, he has experience and is still trusted as a starter.
Commanders Need Patrick More than Packers
The Packers have a questionable offensive line, but they do have a deeper group. They have plenty of options at guard, but cannot pick the right one. Washington is thinner along the interior.
At starters, they have Chris Paul, Sam Cosmi, and Nick Allegretti. Allegretti is the starting center, but played guard last year. Behind them, they have rookie sixth-round pick Matt Gulbin and rookie UDFA Tanoa Togiai.
They are one injury away from an unknown and inexperienced player getting significant work. The Commanders do not want their season to come down to that this early in the year. So, the Patrick signing makes sense.
10-Year Former Packers UDFA Signs With NFC Foe