If the Green Bay Packers have both Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft available on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, the tight end duo will open up the playbook for Matt LaFleur and add even more versatility to the offense, further stressing the opposing defense.
We still don’t know for sure whether Musgrave will be available this week. He is still on injured reserve but has practiced in a limited fashion the last two weeks. LaFleur did provide some hope on Thursday by saying it was “realistic” for him to be available. Musgrave also mentioned that he “feels good” and is “heading in the right direction.”
Musgrave said “it would be awesome” to be on the field against the Bears.
“I want to play as soon as I can. We’ll see. We’re going to take it day-by-day and see what holds.”
Prior to Musgrave’s kidney injury, he was on pace to be one of the most productive rookie tight ends in team history. Through Week 11, Musgrave had 33 receptions for 341 yards and a touchdown. His big play ability was also starting to show up more consistently as well.
In Musgrave’s absence, the Packers have seen the emergence of Tucker Kraft, who has seen growth from a development standpoint at an exponential rate once given this opportunity. In the last six games, Kraft has caught 23-of-28 targets for 281 yards and two scores.
During that span, Kraft ranks sixth among all tight ends in yards after the catch, according to PFF, and has proven to be an improved and capable run blocker.
“Once he started figuring it out,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich of Kraft’s development, “you could see this guy’s got a lot of talent. A credit to him, I don’t know if there’s a guy that works harder behind the scenes with how he prepares. He’s in the film room. He’s asking coach (John) Dunn questions all the time. He’s one of those kids that it’s super important to and he prepares really, really hard. You’re seeing it now, all the success he’s having is coming to fruition.”
If the Packers are fortunate enough to have Kraft and Musgrave together in a must-win game against the Bears, it’s not as if it will be the first time all season this has happened. Before Musgrave was placed on IR, Kraft’s role was already starting to expand. However, the Packers are yet to have this current more refined version of Kraft to be able to pair with Musgrave.
From a play-calling standpoint for Matt LaFleur, when you have two tight ends who can affect both the run and passing games positively, it opens up the playbook for him. This then allows the Packers to get much more creative, especially from 12 personnel, when both tight ends are on the field.
Utilizing two tight end sets won’t be anything new for this Packers team, but what they can do from those alignments grows with these two on the field together.
“With how Tucker has developed over the last few weeks,” said LaFleur recently, “absolutely, you’ll see a little bit different flavor when we are in 12 personnel.”
Having one tight end, let alone two, who can make plays through the air and be a willing blocker adds a layer of unpredictability to the Packers offense. Pre-snap, defenses aren’t as easily able to determine whether it’s a run or a pass or what the tight end’s role might be based on alignment, given the versatile skill-set.
Opponents are then forced to defend both the run and pass on a given play and also to defend the entire field, when you have someone like Kraft who has been among the best with the ball in his hands, and Musgrave, who can stretch the field vertically.
“That would be great to have two legitimate threats at tight end,” added Stenavich, “especially when you can be multiple with your personnel and still be able to not only run the ball but have that vertical threat down the field at any time, that’s always huge.
“So having those two guys on the field making plays is great for us. It opens up a lot of things in the playbook, just as far as different things you can do from different personnel.”
When we’ve heard LaFleur discuss the ‘illusion of complexity,’ that’s what having Kraft and Musgrave on the field together enhances. It allows the Packers to run a variety of plays from just a few personnel groupings or plays that begin similarly but end up quite differently. All of which are added stressors for the opponent, keeping them off-balanced and guessing.
Having this element not only creates opportunities for Kraft and Musgrave, but it benefits the entire offense. Forcing the defense to defend the entire field leads to more space and open field opportunities for others. This can then lead to big plays in both the run and passing games, and it also helps take some of the playmaking burden off of Love’s shoulders.
“When you have two tight ends that can complement,” said LaFleur, “you’ve got two guys that you’ve seen the growth and development from over the course of the season and both those guys you can use in a variety of ways.
“It’ll be fun be able to scheme up things for those guys. They both have a little bit different play style, I would say. But I definitely think having those two guys on the field, they can complement one another in a really good way.”
