Packers' Tucker Kraft does 11-on-11
drills for first time since injury as he awaits new contract
[August 17, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft
marked the latest step in his return from a torn anterior cruciate
ligament by spiking the ball after catching a touchdown pass in
11-on-11 drills Sunday.
Kraft is hopeful that he also will be celebrating a new contract
before the start of the season.
“I think we’re a different team when I’m out on the field, and I
think that’s obvious,” Kraft said Sunday after participating in
11-on-11 for the first time since tearing his right ACL last
November. “I think everyone in this organization, every fan knows
that, without sounding arrogant. I think there’s a different feel to
the offense when I’m out there.”
Kraft, a 2023 third-round pick from South Dakota State, is set to
become a free agent at the end of the upcoming season.
Right now he's focusing on making sure he's as close to full
strength as possible for the start of the regular season next month.
“I’m just getting back on the horse,” Kraft said. “Now that I’ve
gotten back to team reps as I continue to accumulate reps, I hope I
can continue to rise my game as well, take myself to new heights
rather than just return to pre-injury.”
That’s setting a high standard, considering Kraft has said he
believes he was playing as well as any tight end in the league
before injuring his knee in a 16-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on
Nov. 2.
Kraft caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight
games last season. The week before his injury, he caught seven
passes for 143 yards and two scores in a 35-25 victory at
Pittsburgh.
He still sees room for improvement.
“I just want to diversify my abilities,” Kraft said. “People think
I’m (bad) at running routes versus man (coverage). They think I’m
just a zone catching tight end — drop-step, get north after the
catch.”
Rather than ignoring criticism of his game, Kraft says he uses it as
motivation.
“Of course,” Kraft said. “It’s kind of silly not to. When people say
they don’t necessarily get affected by outside noise, to each their
own. I would say it lights a fire under me, throws me into more of a
competitive mindset.”
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Kraft says he has studied other tight ends this
offseason as he looks for ways to improve.
He said he watched plenty of San Francisco 49ers games to see what
he can learn from seven-time Pro Bowl tight end George Kittle.
He’s eager to show what he’s added to his game now
that he’s back on the field.
Kraft wants to get to the point that he’s not under any sort of snap
restrictions for the Packers’ Sept. 13 opener at Minnesota, though
he acknowledges the team might monitor his workload in the early
going.
“They’re going to take into account my rep range probably until
halfway through the season,” Kraft said. “Then they’re just going to
pat me on the (butt) and send me out there, send me to the wolves.”
Kraft had no qualms about throwing himself back into the mix Sunday.
He said the idea of sitting out 11-on-11 drills until he got a new
deal never crossed his mind.
When he was asked whether he worried about the possibility of
getting hurt again before signing a new contract, Kraft replied that
if “something happens to me again, it’s just up to God.”
He’s optimistic that the Packers will reward him soon enough.
“I’ve kind of gone through life, just taking things blow by blow,
assuming things will always just work out in the end,” Kraft said.
“The preparation, the sacrifices I’ve made to be here right now, I’m
just going to continue to assume that it’s all going to work out for
me.”
NOTES: Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the decision to release QB
Kyron Drones came because the team wanted to give Kyle McCord a
longer look. Drones’ exit leaves McCord, starter Jordan Love and
Tyrod Taylor as the Packers' quarterbacks. “There are limited reps
in every practice, and it’s really, truly hard to get four guys
prepared to play football,” LaFleur said. ... The football team from
nearby Menasha High School attended Sunday’s practice and met with
the Packers afterward. Menasha’s football field was damaged in a
tornado last month.
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