'He's bigger, stronger, faster' – Matt LaFleur reminds everyone of a forgotten weapon who could make a major impact for the Packers
Go back a year, 18 months, and you'll remember who everyone around the Green Bay Packers was excited about tight end Luke Musgrave. He's tall, fast, and his rookie season was extremely promising until a lacerated kidney affected his performance.Last year was some kind of worst-case scenario for the tight end. He lost the starting […]
Go back a year, 18 months, and you'll remember who everyone around the Green Bay Packers was excited about tight end Luke Musgrave. He's tall, fast, and his rookie season was extremely promising until a lacerated kidney affected his performance.
Last year was some kind of worst-case scenario for the tight end. He lost the starting job to Tucker Kraft, suffered a serious ankle injury, and didn't perform as well when he did have chances.
But that doesn't mean his impact on the offense can't happen again. During NFL Meetings in Florida, head coach Matt LaFleur showed confidence in what the former second-round pick can still do for the team.
"I'm excited for Luke," LaFleur told Packers.com. "He's had a great offseason, he's been training in Green Bay. And he's bigger, stronger, faster. He's attacking it the right way."
A different element
When the Packers drafted Musgrave two years ago, everyone was impressed by his combination of size and speed. His second season was certainly underwhelming, and his yards per route run went from 1.28 as a rookie to 0.66 in 2024.
However, Musgrave has the potential to bring something that no one else on the roster can, especially while Christian Watson is out with an ACL injury. The vertical element is his big calling card, particularly for a tight end.
Throughout his NFL career, Musgrave has a 7.4 average depth of target, which was 36th amongst 119 tight ends in football last year. In comparison, Tucker Kraft's 5.0 ADoT was 74th. And that was in a down year.
In 2023, Musgrave was on pace to break Bubba Franks' franchise record with the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end. It didn't happen because of the injury, but his performance was encouraging, including 105.0 passer rating when targeted and, even after getting back, a playoff touchdown catch against the Dallas Cowboys.
At this point, it's clear that Tucker Kraft is the starting tight end—and he should be, as a reliable blocker and explosive player after the catch. But Musgrave still has something to offer, and his specific skill set can't be discarded so fast.
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