The Green Bay Packers were ravaged by injuries in 2025, a trend that ultimately hampered the team, with stars like Tucker Kraft, Micah Parsons and Zach Tom missing time down the stretch. Some of those injuries will affect the team coming into the 2026 NFL season, including the star tight end.
Kraft went down with a torn ACL in Week 9 against the Carolina Panthers, putting a premature end to an encouraging campaign. He posted a career-high 61.1 receiving yards per game over the first eight games of the season, hauling in 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns.
Without a cemented WR1, Kraft emerged as Green Bay's top receiving threat at times last season and could sustain that volume upon his return. Despite landing on the team's PUP list prior to training camp, the tight end is expected to be available for the Packers' Week 1 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
The team's receiving corps endured a key loss in Romeo Doubs, who signed with the New England Patriots in free agency, potentially elevating Kraft's ceiling for production in 2026. The star tight end is back with the team during training camp after receiving several positive updates regarding his recovery process during the offseason.
Tucker Kraft return reshapes Packers passing game
Wm. Glasheen USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
The Packers are getting healthy at the right time during the offseason after being ravaged by injuries in 2025. For Kraft, his return will serve as a massive boost to Green Bay's passing game, which is set to be one of the top units in the league in terms of volume.
Before suffering his season-ending injury, Kraft was on pace for a career year a season ago, looking to pick up where he left off upon his return. He's one of Jordan Love's favorite targets, offering reliable hands and encouraging run-after-catch (RAC) ability.
Defenses will be forced to respect Love's deep-ball ability, especially with speedy wideouts Christian Watson and Matthew Golden lined up on the outside. This should create gaps in zone coverage over the middle of the field, where Kraft sees the vast majority of his targets, setting the foundation for a strong bounce-back performance from one of the NFL's top tight ends.
Like his quarterback, Kraft will be called on to shoulder greater responsibility in 2026 and will likely notice another uptick in both targets and output. He and Green Bay will suit up in their first preseason game of the year on Thursday, taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
