The Green Bay Packers have a lot of pieces worth watching heading into 2026, but NFL analyst Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report says one name stands above the rest: Tucker Kraft.
Knox called Kraft the Packers’ most promising building block entering the 2026 season, and the case is pretty easy to follow. If Kraft gets back to full strength early in the year, Knox believes he can put himself in the conversation with the top tight ends in the conference.
That’s a big statement, but Kraft has already given Green Bay plenty to work with. He tore his ACL on November 2, yet still managed to play in eight games last season and finished with 32 catches for 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Since the Packers took him with the 78th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the South Dakota State product has piled up 113 receptions, 1,551 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in Green Bay.
Kraft has also made it clear how he feels about staying put.
"I wanna play for this organization my entire career," Kraft said. "I'm spoiled to have been drafted here and this is all I know.
Green and gold is all I know, so we'd like to keep it that way and my agent and the Packers' front office, they're gonna be in those talks in time when it comes. You guys will find out eventually."
There’s already a belief inside the organization that Kraft could be ready for the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay opens 2026 with that matchup, and the schedule doesn’t let up from there. The Packers will also see the New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Vikings again, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Bears again, Houston Texans and Lions again.
The Packers also enter the year still looking to get back over the playoff hump. They haven’t won a postseason game since 2023, and last season took a sharp turn after superstar Micah Parsons tore his ACL against the Denver Broncos in Week 15. Green Bay didn’t win again after that.
The receiving group around Jordan Love looks different now, too. Romeo Doubs left for the Patriots in free agency, and Dontayvion Wicks was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason. That leaves Kraft, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden, Savion Williams, Skyy Moore, Jakobie Keeney-James, Isaiah Neyor and Will Sheppard as the options on the roster for Love.
Love has settled in as a solid quarterback under Matt LaFleur. Last season, he threw for 3,381 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 66.3% of his passes.
In Other News...
Chris McClellan Is Already Giving Packers Fans A Reason To Revisit That Pick
Chris McClellan is already making the Packers feel a little better about a draft choice that raised some eyebrows in the moment. Green Bay took the defensive lineman at No. 77 overall, betting on his college production over the raw athleticism of other options, and the early returns from offseason work have been encouraging enough to keep that conversation alive in a different way.
Defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase said McClellan was picking up technique and scheme faster than expected during the first two days, and he has also been getting first-team reps in the offseason program. For a team looking to fortify the interior, especially with Micah Parsons set to miss the start of the season, that kind of early progress matters, even if the real verdict on the pick will take much longer to come into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Face A Brutal NFC North Reality
The early look at the 2026 NFC North is not exactly flattering for Green Bay. Bleacher Report analyst Moe Moton has the Packers pegged for a last-place finish, a projection built on worries at both ends of the roster and the kind of uncertainty that can make a division race turn quickly. Even before camp opens, the offense has already taken hits with Romeo Doubs departing in free agency and Dontayvion Wicks getting traded away, leaving Jordan Love with fewer proven targets to work with.
The bigger concern is that the Packers could be forced to navigate the season with more questions than answers in key spots. Josh Jacobs status remains unsettled because of an ongoing legal case and possible league discipline, while the defense is waiting on Micah Parsons as he works back from a torn ACL with meniscus damage. In a division where every game tends to matter, that combination is enough to make a once-promising roster look a lot more fragile than it did a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Season Defining Question Around Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs enters the Packers offseason with more uncertainty than anyone would have expected just a year ago. Green Bay is letting the legal process play out, and the league is doing the same, but the situation alone has turned one of the teams most important offensive pieces into a major storyline as the 2026 season approaches.
The football questions are piling up, too. Jacobs was already dealing with lingering ankle and knee issues late last season, and at 28, he is at the age when running backs start to face the usual durability and decline concerns. Even so, there remains a belief in league circles that he can still be a productive back, which is why the Packers suddenly have a real decision to make about how much they can count on him moving forward. [Read more 🡒]