The Packers are heading toward the 2026 season with a passing game that looks increasingly built around Tucker Kraft, and the tight end’s name is already drawing national attention before he even gets back on the field.
Christian Watson and Jayden Reed still matter in Green Bay’s offense, but Kraft was the player who separated himself in 2025. His rise was real, fast, and obvious before a torn ACL cut short what had been shaping up as a breakout year.
The encouraging part for Green Bay is that Kraft appears to be on track to return for the start of the season. That gives him a few weeks to finish the recovery process and get back into rhythm before the Packers open Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings on September 13.
League observers seem to believe the Packers tight end can pick up right where he left off. Sports Illustrated backed that up by ranking Kraft as the fourth-best tight end heading into the upcoming season.
Even in just eight games, Kraft put together numbers that turned heads. He finished with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns, production that put him on a pace to sit among the NFL’s best at the position over a full 17-game season.
That kind of start has pushed the 25-year-old into elite company. In the rankings, Kraft trails only George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers, Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders, and Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals.
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Another Young Packers Defender Just Had A Major Offseason Moment
Brenton Cox Jr. had a memorable offseason moment away from the practice field, sharing a personal milestone on July 15 through Instagram as he and Kaelyn Williams marked their engagement. The Packers defensive end proposed while the couple was vacationing in Sint Maarten, and the reaction from inside the building was quick, with Green Bay and several teammates offering congratulations as Cox heads into his fourth year with the team.
Its a nice off-field note for a player whose football focus remains just as important entering camp. Cox re-signed with Green Bay this offseason and is expected to add depth on the defensive line, giving the Packers another young piece to monitor as he works back into the mix after a groin injury limited his 2025 season. [Read more 🡒]
Matt LaFleur Still Has To Answer Green Bays Biggest Question
Matt LaFleurs standing in Green Bay remains tied to the same standard that has followed the franchise for more than a decade: regular-season success is nice, but it is not the finish line. Over seven seasons, he has delivered a 76-40-1 mark and kept the Packers in the thick of the NFC race, yet the larger conversation around his tenure has never really shifted because the postseason results have not matched the rest of his resume.
The recent multi-year extension for LaFleur, along with Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball, only sharpened that reality instead of quieting it. Green Bay has not won a Super Bowl since the 2010-11 season, and after another late-season stumble, the pressure point is obvious: the Packers need the next playoff run to look different, because patience in this market is never unlimited. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Backfield Questions Just Got More Frustrating After Kamara Twist
A potential backfield solution for Green Bay quietly came off the board when New Orleans reworked Alvin Kamara's contract, a move that points to the veteran staying put and shuts down the kind of trade chatter that had briefly linked him to the Packers. For a team still sorting out its running back depth, it was another reminder that the market is not going to hand them an easy fix.
So the Packers are left to lean on what they already have, with MarShawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks expected to absorb the workload after Emanuel Wilson's departure. Lloyd's recovery has been encouraging enough to keep hope alive that he can grow into a bigger role, but the bigger picture is still unsettled, and Green Bay's backfield questions are only getting louder as the options keep thinning. [Read more 🡒]