Packers' intriguing battle on offense takes an unexpected turn against the Eagles

SÃO PAULO — The Green Bay Packers drafted Luke Musgrave in the second round and Tucker Kraft in the third round last year. Musgrave was the starter from day 1 until he got hurt. Kraft gave signs in 2023 that he could surpass the fellow tight end on the depth chart because of his blocking and overall fit to the offense.

Still, it was a surprise to see how bigger Kraft’s role was in the Packers’ regular season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, a 34-29 loss in Brazil.

Kraft finished the game with 64 offensive snaps, against only 17 from Musgrave. And some of them happened early in the game when Matt LaFleur decided to have several snaps in 12 personnel.

Neither of the tight ends had a huge offensive impact, but Kraft had two catches for 37 yards, a respectable number for an all-around player. Musgrave, who was in the game mostly because of his receiving skills, didn’t have a single catch. Kraft was third on the team in receiving yards, only behind wide receivers Jayden Reed (138) and Romeo Doubs (50).

Hopefully for the Packers, the team can be more efficient closer to the end zone. For head coach Matt LaFleur, that was one of the main reasons for the loss in São Paulo.

"We had a lot of opportunities we didn't capitalize on and when you don't do that, you get beat," LaFleur said. "The red area was a huge problem tonight. Last year I thought we were pretty good in that area, but we got destroyed there tonight."

Contributions

Tucker Kraft has simply been the most valuable tight end for the team. In addition to being a better blocker and more effective creating yards after the catch, the former third-round pick is more useful on special teams.

Coordinator Rich Bisaccia used Kraft in 16 snaps, while Luke Musgrave didn’t have a single special teams snap in week 1.

Outlook for the season

At this point, it’s fair to project that Tucker Kraft is the Packers’ starting tight end — despite the unofficial depth chart stating otherwise. Both players are expected to have roles depending on the opponent, but this game would presumably have been a good opportunity for Musgrave considering the Eagles’ issues at off-ball linebacker.

There’s no need to rush final conclusions after just one game, but Tucker Kraft is exactly the type of tight end Matt LaFleur wants. He blocks, he has relatively strong hands, he generates extra yards, keeps his balance, and plays special teams.

For the Packers, at this point, Kraft is simply too valuable to be out of the field — at least until Luke Musgrave truly shows his extraordinary receiving potential, especially as a deep threat.

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