Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave an update on his injured tight end Tucker Kraft on Friday morning. Lafleur said that Kraft would not participate in practice Friday, Sept. 19 after he injured his knee during practice on Thursday, Sept. 18.
LaFleur doesn’t believe IR will be necessary but uncertain about Kraft’s status for Sunday.
His status for Sunday is still unknown, but LaFleur said that the decision on whether he plays or not will boil down to Kraft’s own confidence level heading into Sunday’s game. The injury isn’t believed to be serious and likely won’t require time on the IL, but there is a chance he doesn’t take the field for the Packers week three matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
“I couldn’t tell you,” LaFleur said when asked about whether Kraft would be active Sunday. “Just like we do with all these guys, we’ll give them up until game time. More than anything, he’s got to be confident and be cleared at the same time.”
LaFleur claimed that the injury was a little tweak more than anything.
Kraft Poised For Breakout Year After Two Games
In his third season in the NFL, Kraft has gotten off to a better start than he did in his first two, racking up 140 yards and two touchdowns through two weeks. Both numbers put him on pace to shatter his career bests in each category.
Kraft essentially doubled his output in year two with the Packers in 2024, jumping from 355 receiving yards in year one to 707 in year two, while grabbing seven touchdowns, up from two in 2023.
He had arguably the best game of his career last week in Green Bay’s 27-18 win over the Washington Commanders. Kraft hauled in six receptions for 124 yards while finding the end zone once.
In a Packers offense where receivers come aplenty, Kraft’s presence and value on the field isn’t overshadowed by the WR depth Green Bay has. He has become one of Jordan Love’s favorite targets since the onset of the 2024 season and has been even more valuable on third downs as something of a binky for Love to look to in high-leverage situations.
Krafts Potential Absence; Where Do Packers Turn If He’s Out?
Luke Musgrave is the Packers back-up tight end who will likely inherit most of Kraft’s snaps as TE1 if Kraft is unavailable this weekend. Musgrave has played in both of Green Bay’s first two games and has three catches.
Musgrave entered the NFL and Green Bay alongside Kraft in 2023 and was actually higher on the call sheet than Kraft in their rookie season. They put up almost identical numbers in 2023 when Musgrave caught 34 passes for 352 yards while Kraft had 31 catches for 355 yards. If Kraft is out, Musgrave has all the tools to be a plenty suitable replacement for him.
The Packers also have John FitzPatrick and Ben Sims on their active roster at the tight end position. FitzPatrick caught one pass in the season opener against Detroit, while Sims hasn’t seen the field yet this season. FitzPatrick will likely get more snaps as TE2 this weekend alongside Musgrave if Kraft is out.
Matt LaFleur Provides Update on TE Tucker Kraft After Practice Injury