Packers Urged to Sign Veteran ‘Mentor’ to Replace Luke Musgrave

Getty The Packers tight end room is thin, but a veteran like Dan Arnold would be a welcome addition

It was a tough break for a player whom Jordan Love and the Packers had begun to trust after some early missteps. Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, a second-round pick last season, has always impressed with his speed raw talent, but in recent weeks, he had also been on a better wavelength with Love. Then, in Week 11, the Packers tight end suffered a lacerated kidney that could cost him the rest of his rookie year.

Behind Musgrave are decidedly untested options for the Packers. Fellow rookie Tucker Kraft has taken over the role of starter, but he is stepping in for a team trying to make a late-year postseason run, and is even rawer than Musgrave was.

With the Packers tight end situation badly in need of depth, Bleacher Report has a suggestion: veteran journeyman Dan Arnold, a Milwaukee native who has played for four teams in six years and has 95 catches in his 59-game career. Arnold is a free agent, having been let go after training camp by the Eagles.

“The Packers placed Luke Musgrave on injured reserve last week. While they have Tucker Kraft to turn to as a starter, they only have two healthy tight ends and both are rookies, as Josiah Deguara is also banged up. It’d make sense to add a veteran to the position group to serve as a mentor at the very least,” the site wrote this week.

Luke Musgrave Could Return in Week 16

Dan Arnold had his best season in 2020 playing for Arizona, where he had 31 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns. He is a catch-first tight end who played for the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, where he was a wide receiver. While Packers tight ends are expected to block, having a guy with hands like Arnold makes some sense.

As for Luke Musgrave, coach Matt LaFleur said there is some hope the he could be back in Week 16. Musgrave was placed on IR and must sit out for four weeks.

“We’re hopeful,” LaFleur said of Musgrave’s return, per PackersNews.com. “We do know he’ll be out for sure the next three weeks and then we’ll see where we’re at after that. I know if it’s up to him, he’ll be back. It’s just whether or not he’s fully healed.

“And this guy is as tough as they come. I’ve not been around many guys who will compete at the level he competes and not always being fully functional in terms of not being 100%.”

Tucker Kraft Leads the Way on Packers Tight Ends

It would be a gamble to close out the year with the current Packers tight ends. Certainly, Kraft has talent and was a third-round pick last year. But he has made just seven catches for 58 yards this year, one of which was the first touchdown of his career in the Thanksgiving win over the Lions.

Behind Luke Musgrave and Kraft is Josiah Deguara, the fourth-year tight end who has 47 catches for 436 yards in his four-year career. He, too, is dealing with an injury, to his hip. He is questionable for Week 13. Ben Sims is the third tight end, and the Packers signed rookie Joel Wilson to the practice squad this week.