Green Bay Packers veteran tight end Josh Whyle is taking advantage of the extra work he is getting at OTAs this offseason. Whyle is entering his fourth season in the NFL and second-year with the Packers and is looking to have an impactful role for the team. Due to injuries at the position, he has been working with the first-team offense all offseason, and he has even experimented in the fullback role. This could make Whyle a player to watch once training camp arises.
Whyle got the majority of the work due to injuries to Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Kraft is rehabbing an ACL injury, and while he is expected to be ready for Week 1, he is going to go slow this offseason. The name to watch is Musgrave, though.
Musgrave is a former second-round pick, but he has 649 yards in three seasons. Injuries have set him back throughout his career, and he left OTAs with an injury already. While the extent of the injury is unknown, it opened the door for Whyle.
If Musgrave cannot stay healthy this summer, Whyle has a legitimate chance to unseat him and get work as the second tight end.
The Green Bay Packers are Giving Tight End Josh Whyle a Chance This Summer
GettyJosh Whyle of the Green Bay Packers.
Whyle was a fifth-round pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2023 NFL draft. He saw the field sparingly in his rookie year, with nine catches for 94 yards. In his second season, he had 28 catches for 248 yards.
However, his progress was stalled, and the coach who drafted him was no longer on the staff. So, he was let go and caught on with the Packers. Whyle was mostly a depth piece last season, but did see the field enough to catch five passes for 36 yards.
Now that he knows the system, he is back and running with the first-team offense. As long as Musgrave is on the sidelines, he will get to see the field.
Beyond that, the team using him at fullback shows that they have a legitimate plan for him and think that he should make the roster. The Packers have not had enough production from that spot in a few years and are hoping to get it back.
Another Unknown Tight End is Emerging on the Packers
The Packers tend to use two different tight ends in two different roles. They have Tucker Kraft, who is more of a traditional tight end, and then Musgrave, who is more of the big slot pass-catching weapon. That is why the health status of Musgrave is more important to Whyle than Kraft.
Even if Kraft comes back, the team would need Whyle for the receiving role, and he would see the field as the number two tight end.
So, with Kraft out, the team is not just getting more out of Whyle; they are also using Messiah Swinson more. Swinson is a UDFA from 2024. He has bounced around the NFL but has been stuck with the Packers for the last year. Now, he is getting work with the first-team offense as their lead blocker.
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