Tucker Kraft: Everything you need to know

Kraft (knee) said Wednesday that he expects to play Week 1 without any playing-time restrictions, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports. Coming back from last year's ACL tear, Kraft is absent from OTA practices but hopes to participate in training camp. Packers coach Matt LaFleur also said he hopes to have the tight end on the field during the early portion of training camp, and Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Kraft is ahead of schedule in his rehab process. While the Packers have a well-earned reputation for caution with injured players, it sounds like all parties are on board for Kraft making a run at gaining clearance for Week 1.

Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Kraft (ACL) could be back on the field by the start of, or during, training camp, Weston Hodkiewicz of the team's official site reports. GM Brian Gutekunst said in early May that Kraft is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a right ACL tear and is expected to be back in the starting lineup early during the 2026 regular season, but LaFleur's current prognostication is arguably even more optimistic. The 25-year-old tight end is working his way back from surgery undergone last November after suffering a season-ending injury in Week 9 of the 2025 campaign. Before going down, Kraft had firmly established himself as one of the focal points of Green Bay's passing attack. With Romeo Doubs now in New England and Dontayvion Wicks in Philadelphia, Kraft stands alongside Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden as one of Jordan Love's top pass-catching options heading into 2026. In contrast to Kraft, LaFleur said he expects Micah Parsons (ACL) to begin training camp on the PUP list, per Ryan Wood of USA Today.

Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that Kraft (ACL) is "a little bit ahead of schedule" in his recovery from a right ACL tear and that both he and Micah Parsons (ACL) are expected to be "back early in the [regular] season," Andrew Bandstra of Channel 3000 News reports. Gutekunst previously labeled Kraft ahead of schedule in mid-January, and it appears the tight end's progress has continued on an encouraging track. He noted that Kraft is further along in his rehab than Parsons, which makes sense considering the timing of their respective ACL tears (early Nov. vs. mid-Dec.). Kraft, meanwhile, has stated that he's targeting a Week 1 return. He's entering his age-26 season and the final year of his deal with the Packers, though Gutekunst has confirmed talks regarding an extension are underway. After Green Bay allowed Romeo Doubs to sign elsewhere as a free agent (Patriots) and dealt Dontayvion Wicks in a trade (Eagles), Kraft is facing a clearer path to targets alongside returning wideouts Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden. In eight regular-season games prior to tearing his ACL in 2025, Kraft had emerged as Green Bay's leading receiver with 32 grabs for 489 yards and six scores on 44 targets.