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There were 15 tight ends selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Green Bay Packers have three of them on their roster with second-round pick Luke Musgrave, third-round pick Tucker Kraft and fifth-round pick Josh Whyle.
Obviously, one of those players is not like the others.
On the heels of the quarterbacks and running backs, Part 3 of our Packers training camp previews continues with the tight ends, with the Packers boasting one of the NFL’s best players at the position.
Packers Tight End Depth Chart
Tucker Kraft: Kraft, of course, is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and maybe the most feared run-after-catch player in the league. His midseason destruction of the Steelers was a masterclass. In eight games, he caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns. That’s a 17-game projection of 68 receptions for 1,039 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Only two tight ends in NFL history scored more touchdowns in a season. And that was without being a true focal point of the passing game.
Luke Musgrave: For as great as Kraft has been as a third-round pick, Musgrave has been just as big of a disappointment as a second-round pick. In three seasons, he has 65 receptions for 649 yards and one touchdown. Again, go back and look at Kraft’s 17-game projection from last year.
In 24 games the past two seasons, Musgrave gained 13 first downs and scored zero touchdowns.
Josh Whyle: The Titans, surprisingly, released Whyle at the end of training camp last year. He joined Green Bay’s practice squad and was promoted to the active roster after Kraft’s injury. He caught five passes for 36 yards and one touchdown in eight games but had 28 receptions in 2024.
He probably outplayed Musgrave during the offseason.
“Obviously, with Tuck out, great opportunity for him to step up and make some plays,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “For him, it’s just the consistency, as well, knowing where he needs to be at all times, and just building upon all the little things. He’s doing a great job.”
Drake Dabney: Dabney went undrafted last year after catching 84 passes for 1,066 yards and eight touchdowns at Baylor and TCU. He had excellent production in 2023 with 33 catches for 552 yards and five touchdowns. He joined the practice squad after Kraft’s injury and played in the final two games, with one catch for 3 yards against the Vikings.
Messiah Swinson: Swinson went undrafted in 2024 after catching 28 passes for 317 yards and two touchdowns for Missouri and Arizona State. He caught only six passes as a senior. He spent the last two training camps with the Packers and finished last season on their practice squad. He has not played in a game. He’s an old-school, run-blocking tight end. The Packers could use one.
Luke Lachey: Lachey was a seventh-round pick by the Texans in 2025 after catching 74 passes for 893 yards and four touchdowns at Iowa. All four touchdowns came in 2022, he missed most of 2023 with an injury, then matched his career high with 28 catches in 2024. He spent all of last season on Houston’s practice squad and did not get in a game. He signed with the Packers last month.
RJ Maryland: Maryland went undrafted this year after a productive four seasons at SMU in which he caught 113 passes for 1,495 yards and 19 touchdowns. He never had a big season; he just consistently churned out production. He is smaller and faster than the typical tight end. He is the son of Russell Maryland so has a professional mentality.
Biggest Roster Battle for Packers at Tight End
Presumably, the Packers will keep four tight ends. That’s a fairly standard number. Barring a trade, Kraft, Musgrave and Whyle will take the three spots.
So, who will be No. 4?
That’s a fun question to complicate because tight end isn’t a singular position. RJ Maryland, who will battle for a roster spot, has absolutely nothing in common with John FitzPatrick, the physical presence who suffered a torn Achilles late last season and isn’t on the roster.
If the Packers are looking to replace FitzPatrick’s skill-set, the candidates are Swinson and Lachey. Swinson is listed at 6-foot-7 and 259 pounds. He competed for a roster spot in 2024 and 2025 but fell short both times. Lachey is listed at 6-foot-6 and 250 pounds. He’s well-schooled as the son of Jim Lachey – a three-time All-Pro as a member of the legendary “Hogs” – and played at Iowa, which has a considerable history in churning out NFL tight ends.
Maryland isn’t going to win a roster spot because of powerhouse blocking. He’s going to have to excel as a matchup weapon in the passing game. So, will his pass-catching ability be more important than effective blocking?
The Big Question at Tight End for the Packers
Kraft suffered a torn ACL during the midseason game against Carolina. He won’t just be on the field for Week 1. He intends to regain the mantle as the best “do-it-all” tight end.
“I’m not really buying into the people come back off an injury and aren’t the same,” Kraft said at minicamp. “People com(ing) back off their injury, if you’re not coming back off your injury the same, then what are you doing? What were you doing your entire rehab?”
Can Kraft really be on top of his game for Week 1? Will it be Week 4? Midseason?
The Doomsday Scenario for Packers at Tight End
The alternative is that Kraft won’t be the same player who ran roughshod over the Steelers. In that game, Kraft had 128 yards after the catch. Over the last decade, only 14 players had more YAC in a game; only two of those performances were by a tight end. Since 2020, Kraft had the eighth-most YAC in a game and the most by a tight end. He turned eight catches that were caught a combined 15 yards downfield into 143 yards.
Kraft, of course, is more than a run-after-catch monster. He blocks. He makes plays downfield (when given opportunities). He leads. He is an all-around player, which is why any upcoming contract extension probably will make him the first $20 million-per-season tight end.
The Packers need Kraft back on the field – and at his best – on the field and off.
“I think the Good Lord put us on this world to endure and there have been so many things I’ve found out about myself through this process – good and bad,” Kraft said. “There are things about myself that I was able to correct.
“Strengths, I’m going to be able to show everyone when this is all said and done. I don’t think that something like this had to happen to me to get better. I think I had the right mindset prior to my injury, but now I know what it’s about and I know how much I love this game and all the support system I’ve had to get past it.”
His importance in the offense will only grow this season as part of the team’s slimmed-down passing attack. Last year before the injury, it was clear he needed more opportunities. He just didn’t get them at times. Now, because there are fewer receivers that need to get the ball, he will get those opportunities. He will be ready and willing; will he be fully able?
If not, the passing game could be doomed.
“I want to bear the weight for the team,” he said. “I think I can be someone to put the team on my back and do that dirty work, be that groan work, but there’s multiple guys on this offense that’d say the same thing. That’s where we have to use that drive to continue to push down the season and win some games.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Packers Training Camp Preview: TE Depth Chart, Big Battle, Doomsday Scenario.
