The news that absolutely no one wanted to hear dropped on Monday. Green Bay Packers breakout tight end, Tucker Kraft had torn his ACL in Sunday's loss to the Panthers and would miss the remainder of the 2025 season. Kraft was well on his way to a possible All-Pro season and was the heart and soul of Green Bay's offense. He was second on the team in receptions, first in targets, first in receiving yards, and first in receiving touchdowns. It's a tough loss, and Kraft will be missed, but just like any injury, the season goes on, and it's the next man up. 

The only Packers pass catcher that comes close to Kraft's production, is Romeo Doubs. Doubs has done his job this season in being a reliable target for Jordan Love and the once-stone-faced receiver has seemed to have found his fire. In the first half of this season, on third, or even fourth down for that matter, you could expect the football to end up in the hands of either Kraft or Doubs for the conversion. You may still see Doubs as Jordan Love's go-to, but someone else needs to step up alongside him.

Luke Musgrave

With Tucker Kraft going down, all eyes easily turn to TE2, Luke Musgrave. A coincidence in all of that, which I'm sure Musgrave may rather have it be forgotten, is that he wasn't always TE2. After being drafted in the second round in 2023, with Kraft drafted in the third, Musgrave was above Kraft on the depth chart going into their rookie season. Musgrave proceeded to put together a good start to his rookie campaign with 33 catches for 341 yards and a touchdown in the first ten games. But after suffering a lacerated kidney in mid-November of 2023, he missed the next six games. 

That's when Tucker Kraft took over. Musgrave returned for the final game of the season and the playoffs, in which he had three receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in the playoff victory against the Cowboys, but then his 2024 season was derailed due to ligament damage in his left ankle and he never really got a chance to produce, playing in seven games with a limited role. So far, 2025 has been much like early 2024 for Luke Musgrave. On the field, but a non-factor, only posting nine catches for 88 yards in eight games. But that could all change.

Musgrave was once billed as a match-up nightmare for defenders. Standing at 6'6 253 lbs, he can box out most defensive backs, and is too quick for a linebacker to cover. Outside of his injuries, though, what has Musgrave lacked that Tucker Kraft possesses as a pass catcher? 

One could argue that Luke Musgrave lacks that "killer instinct." Tucker Kraft has emerged as a tight end that not only attacks and claims the ball, but will attack defenders who try to take him down afterward. This isn't to say that Luke Musgrave is "soft" or anything of that nature, it's that we just haven't seen that from him yet. There's the Matt LaFleur "Musgrave stayed on his feet!" joke that came out in 2023, and number 88 hasn't been able to shake it. After the catch, he's often hitting the deck or is taken down by the nearest defender. If he's making that catch 10-15 yards or more downfield, it's not as much of an issue. But if he's easily going down after a three yard grab, that's not what you want from a tight end. 

Musgrave has all the intangibles to be a big receiving threat. This is his opportunity to show everyone that he is up for the challenge and he can be everything everyone thought he could become.

Matthew Golden

Despite the rookie first round wide receiver being tied for third on the team in receptions with 23, and third in receiving yards with 262, there's a lot of discourse around Matthew Golden's usage so far this season. Everyone ranted and raved about how great he looked in training camp and how crazy it was to see a rookie receiver with such poise and dedication to learning his role on the team. Packer nation was ready for Matthew Golden to quickly become that undisputed WR1 that the media was always saying they lacked. But after eight games, it's just not there. 

To make matters worse, it's evident when you look back on the tape, that Golden is getting open, Jordan Love just isn't getting him the ball. Is it a lack of trust? Is it favoritism on the part of Matt LaFleur, or is the coach holding him back? All the speculative explanations are out there in the media, and LaFleur has done his best to knock them all over. It's the nature of the beast, so to speak, when you have a lot of guys that can make plays, some games you'll get it, some games you won't. They're not going to force-feed players the ball. 

You don't have to force it, but it may be a good time to put Matthew Golden in a first-look role. He's shown he has the hands, he can generate yards after the catch, and he has speed. He can do much more than just catch the ball in the backfield or take a hand-off on a jet-sweep. It's time to get Matthew Golden more involved. 

With Tucker Kraft off the field, the Packers lose a player who was just starting to be recognized as a star. In Matthew Golden, we might have one who's ready for his time to come as well. 

Other Notables

Matthew Golden and Luke Musgrave are good candidates to pick up a big chunk of the slack, but you don't replace a player like Tucker Kraft that easily. One of the biggest scheme-wise disappointments of Kraft's absence is how the return of Christian Watson could've amplified his production even further and vice versa. With Watson taking safeties with him over the top, Kraft could've had an easy 1x1 underneath, and likewise if the safety played Kraft instead. You still have Watson over the top, so who gets the middle outside of Doubs with Musgrave or Golden?   

Jayden Reed is apparently inching closer to his return. What closer, though, we don't really know. What we do know is he has been working out on the sideline during practice, so that's something. Reed remains on IR with a collarbone injury, but could return within the month. Despite it still being a few games out, Reed's presence as one of the Packers' top receivers would make a big difference for the offense, helping make up for the loss of Tucker Kraft.

Dontayvion Wicks has struggled to produce a bit this season. He's missed the last two games with a calf injury, but per Matt LaFleur, he could return to practice this week. Wicks has never exactly been a go-to receiver, but he has shown the capability to put up some big single-game numbers in the past. If Wicks can get back to form, he can help out the Packers' offense as well. 

There will be no replacing Tucker Kraft in the Packers' offense. He brings a skillset that is not easily replicated. But the Packers are a talented bunch catching the football, and if utilized correctly, they can still be almost as effective in Kraft's absence.