The Green Bay Packers Have a Tight End Problem

When Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was lost for the season with an injury, the team knew it faced a challenge at the position. Kraft was the team’s most reliable receiving weapons and one of the best tight ends in the league. He was the team’s most reliable red zone target as well, and he still leads the team with six touchdown catches. But the after two games without Kraft in the lineup, it is clear that the Packers have a tight end problem. Today, we analyze the reasons for the problem and some possible solutions.

The Packers Have a Tight End Problem: The Situation

Kraft played the first seven games of the season before getting injured in the second quarter of Week 9. He caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns. Kraft provided quarterback Jordan Love with an exceptional option on short passes and checkdowns.

Kraft’s skill set fit well with the offense head coach Matt LaFleur wants to run. He was by far the best blocking tight end on the team. That helped the running game and allowed the team to run short passes and screens to the wide receivers or running backs.

Kraft also provided the Packers with the most reliable short-range receiver on the team. His ability to run after the catch meant that Love could throw the ball a few yards downfield and still gain substantial yardage because Kraft was so difficult to tackle one-on-one. Kraft broke tackles with power and could evade tacklers as well. That combination helped him gain 344 yards after the catch on 32 passes, an average of 10.75 yards after the catch per reception.

Luke Musgrave’s Skills

The Packers turned to Luke Musgrave after Kraft was injured. Musgrave was selected one round before Kraft back in 2023 and earned the starting job out of training camp that year. But the former Oregon State star suffered a lacerated kidney midway through the season. Kraft stepped in and played exceptionally well. He has held the starting job ever since.

Meanwhile, Musgrave continued to be limited by injuries. He played only seven games in 2024 and caught just seven passes for 45 yards. This season, Musgrave again started the season as the backup. He played every game so far in 2025, but his action was limited before Kraft suffered his season-ending injury. He played less than 40 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in every game but one and was targeted only seven times in the first seven games of the season.

Musgrave has a different skill set than Kraft. While Kraft excels at blocking and turning short passes into longer gains, Musgrave has more speed and can get deep down the seam. He is a willing blocker, but not a very good one. His struggles as a blocker make it tougher for the coaching staff to put him on the field in obvious running situations and on screens, jet sweeps, and end arounds.

Struggling to Fill In

In the first game after Kraft’s injury, Musgrave was on the field for 76.5 percent of the Packers offensive snaps. He caught three passes for 23 yards. However, against the Giants, Musgrave played only 19 snaps or 34.5 percent of the offensive plays. He was on the field for only two snaps after halftime.

Musgrave didn’t play well. He dropped one pass that was nearly a fumble. Replay overturned that call. He also caught one pass for minus-one yard. Then he spent the second half on the sidelines.

The Packers Have a Tight End Problem: The Problem and Possible Fixes

Thus far, the Packers are more or less using Musgrave the way they used Kraft. They are using him on short routes instead of taking shots with the speedy tight end downfield. His blocking has also been a liability. One thing NFL play callers are supposed to do is devise game plans that play to their players’ strengths. LaFleur has not done that thus far. Instead, he has simply inserted Musgrave into Kraft’s role and the results have predictably been underwhelming.

The other tight ends on the roster now are John FitzPatrick and Josh Whyle. Neither can block like Kraft and neither are as good at running after the catch as Kraft is. The team has resorted to playing a sixth offensive lineman at tight end on plays where they need better run blocking.

LaFleur and GM Brian Gutekunst may need to sign a tight end who can block well on running plays to make the offense run more effectively. LaFleur also must call plays that dovetail with the skill sets of Musgrave, FitzPatrick, and Whyle.

As for Musgrave, through two games, he has failed to take advantage of the opportunity afforded him by Kraft’s injury. This may be his last opportunity to establish himself as an integral part of the Green Bay offense. But to do that, the play calls have to align more with Musgrave’s skills. He cannot just be asked to do what Kraft did. He has to be allowed to be the best Luke Musgrave he can be.