Paul Bretl | 7/10/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers have to “do a better job” of featuring tight end Tucker Kraft in the passing game in 2025. That’s not only my opinion, or I’m sure the opinion of many of you out there, but that’s also what Matt LaFleur said during his end-of-season press conference back in January.
“That’s one thing we spent some time on this offseason,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, “is just kind of where we can get him to take the next step and I think just his route-running ability, getting him on more individual things like that, and just kind of growing him there. I think he did a really good job in the run game. That’s one thing that hopefully he can keep improving there to be a dominant player up front. Just trying to find different ways to give him the ball, that’s gonna be the big thing for us.”
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘Paul Bretl’ for more Packers coverage.
It’s not like Kraft was forgotten about last season. His 70 targets in 2024 were the fourth-most on the team and were tied for the 18th-most among all tight ends. And with those targets, Kraft was extremely effective, ranking sixth in receiving yards with 733, third in yards per catch, and he led all tight ends in average YAC per reception, according to PFF.
“One thing I feel like I could’ve done better is separate in man-to-man,” Kraft said during minicamp. “Most of my game was check downs underneath and my yards after catch ability, so I’m looking to put it all together. I’m looking to have every resource I need based off the repetitions I’ve gotten over and over and over this offseason.”
However, there are certainly still more opportunities out there for Kraft as well when it comes to impacting the pass game. When we discuss how Kraft can be better featured within the offense, that doesn’t only refer to the number of passes that come his way, but it’s also about how he’s utilized in the passing game.
It’s, at times, making him one of the first reads in Jordan Love’s progression, so he is more of a focal point in the passing game. It’s also about moving Kraft around more pre-snap and allowing him to attack different parts of the field. Of Kraft’s 70 targets, only 10 came 10 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage.
Particularly over the middle of the field–where tight ends can be a real mismatch–on those intermediate to deep routes, Kraft was 6-for-6 when targeted on such throws, totaling 184 yards with two touchdowns.
“We’ve got to definitely find ways to keep stretching him down the field because he catches the ball really well,” Jordan Love said of Kraft. “He made a couple big-time plays down the field last year, but a big part of our offense is having the tight ends in some different protection roles and things like that. We’ll mix it up, get some other guys out there maybe doing some protection stuff and let him go run some routes down the field.”
While Kraft was efficient on those deeper targets last season, he’s still relatively inexperienced when it comes to running those routes–just 17 such targets over his first two seasons–and is perfecting the nuances that come with attacking the second and third levels of the field more regularly. Part of earning more of those opportunities in-game includes showcasing the ability to consistently make those plays–and do so with the proper technique–in practice.
“We’ll take like a seam route, for example,” said Kraft, “like not being able to push my width past my landmark on the field, being able to stretch the field vertical. Identifying if the linebacker in front of me is about to mash me inside or if he’s gonna drop for the hook. Just reading my keys, triangles on defense, just becoming more efficient pre snap and then also, as I stated previously, just separating man-to-man.”
Having a do-it-all presence at tight end, like Kraft can provide, can be a cheat code of sorts for an offense, especially in LaFleur’s scheme, which is built on multiplicity. When a tight end can impact the passing game, be moved around the formation, and is a capable blocker, it adds a layer of unpredictability to an offense.
With that player able to shoulder a variety of responsibilities, it opens up the playbook for the play-caller and allows the offense to throw a variety of looks at opponents, keeping defenders off balance and guessing. This not only creates opportunities for the tight end to exploit, but for his teammates as well.
That blocking ability of Kraft’s is also a big part of what the Packers do offensively. So, as Love alluded to, an important element when it comes to Kraft seeing more opportunities to impact other levels of the field through the pass game, is that someone, whether it be Luke Musgrave, John FitzPatrick, or Ben Sims, needs to then shoulder the blocking responsibilities and provide a steady presence on those plays.
One significant difference for Kraft this offseason compared to last is that he has been able to participate in OTAs and minicamp. A year ago at this time, he was rehabbing a torn pectoral injury and wasn’t back on the field until August. Those additional on-field reps, especially as Kraft’s role on offense potentially expands, have been extremely valuable.
“Last offseason, I had a torn pec,” said Kraft. “I didn’t get a chance to have an opportunity to do any of this, so really being able to apply my technique and stack reps, coverages and schemes and fronts, I just got a much better feel of the game this offseason.”
Although there isn’t a ton to glean from offseason programs, not surprisingly, Kraft has seen his share of targets in the passing game. For a Packers’ offense that has some question marks at wide receiver, Kraft can provide a steady presence in the pass game, along with some playmaking potential mixed in.
“Tuck’s going to be a big part of the offense,” Love said. “I think Tuck, since he’s stepped on the scene, has shown who he is a playmaker and shown us reasons why we should just keep getting him the ball. I think a big part of going into this season is going to be finding ways to continue to get Tuck the ball, get him as many touches as we can in the game because he’s a dynamic playmaker and does some really good things once he gets it in his hands. That’s going to be a focus going into the season, is trying to make sure we can get him as many touches as possible each week.”