The Packers didn’t exactly end up with the tight end duo they were chasing when they used two top-100 picks on Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft in 2023. That plan was supposed to build a true one-two punch. Instead, Musgrave has never really found his footing and is now on the Physically Unable to Perform list, while Kraft has become the real force in the room.
And Kraft looked every bit like it in Week 1. In his first game back from a torn ACL, he posted an average target depth of 11.8 yards, which was a career high by a wide margin and the sixth-highest mark in the NFL among tight ends with at least three targets. He also nearly had a rushing attempt sprinkled into the mix, though that never came together.
The more surprising twist is how the rest of the room has turned into something genuinely useful. Jonnu Smith, the kind of late-camp addition that usually barely registers, gave Green Bay 32 snaps on Sunday and moved all over the formation.
He lined up in-line, in H-back and wing spots, in the slot, and even out wide. That kind of flexibility matters, and if Smith can pair it with the occasional catch, he brings real value.
He also had one reception that stands out for reasons beyond the play itself. Smith’s 43-yard catch in Week 1 was longer than any catch Luke Musgrave produced across his entire Packers career, which stretched over 35 regular-season games.
Mark Redman and Josh Whyle round out the group, and they brought versatility too. Both took snaps aligned as fullbacks, and Redman also handled some work as a traditional in-line Y.
So while this isn’t the explosive tight end room the Packers once imagined, it has become an interesting one. Kraft is the headliner, Smith adds schematic flexibility, and Redman and Whyle give the group more shape.
Green Bay used 31 plays with two or more tight ends on the field in Week 1, according to Sumer Sports, including 21 snaps in 12 personnel and 10 in 13. That number will move around from week to week, especially when the Packers aren’t dealing with a blitzaholic madman, but it still points to one clear idea: tight ends are going to matter in this offense.
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Packers Draw More NFL Discipline After Van Ness Controversy Takes A Turn
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Javon Bullard was also part of the conversation after being flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit that injured Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray, though he escaped a fine. For Green Bay, the rulings serve as another reminder that the league is paying close attention to how its defenders finish plays, even when the on-field flags do not always line up exactly with the postgame penalties. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Get Reassuring News On Rookie Corner Before Jets Game
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For a defense still sorting out its early-season rotation, having Cisse available matters. He started the opener, handled a heavy workload before leaving, and now gives the Packers another healthy option on the back end as they prepare for a tougher test in New York. The only real question left is how much Green Bay leans on him after that brief interruption. [Read more 🡒]
Caleb Williams Just Revived A Bears Packers Troll Fans Love
Caleb Williams has kept one of the NFLs lighter rivalry traditions alive with Green Bay, this time by attaching a small cheese grater to his bulldog Supas collar. The joke traces back to last year after a Bears win over the Packers, when the playful nod to Wisconsins dairy identity caught on and turned into a recurring bit around Williams and his popular social media presence.
Supa, who already draws plenty of attention online, helped push the gag back into circulation after fans shared the latest posts. Some viewers even confused the bulldog with one of Williams other dogs that has cropped ears, but the cheese grater theme has been clear enough, and it has settled in as a fan-friendly tradition at Soldier Field that Packers followers will notice every time it resurfaces. [Read more 🡒]