The Green Bay Packers are facing a number of challenges heading into training camp in 2023. Head coach Matt LaFleur and his staff are going to have their hands full given the inexperience at so many positions on the team.
There isn’t a player that will be under the microscope more than quarterback Jordan Love. He is set to be the full-time starter for the first time after sitting behind Aaron Rodgers for three seasons and waiting his turn to play.
It would be easy to say that is the biggest challenge facing the Packers this year. However, Eric Edholm of NFL.com went differently. In his opinion, it is the inexperience of the skill positions around Love, namely tight end, that is the biggest challenge facing Green Bay.
“One of the more quietly fascinating draft storylines in April was the Packers selecting tight ends in Rounds 2 (Luke Musgrave) and 3 (Tucker Kraft), with the expectation that both will be vying for regular playing time in Year 1. Does this signal a shift to more 12-personnel packages, with both rookies (or Josiah Deguara) on the field together? It’s possible. The Packers are quite inexperienced at wide receiver and tight end, so head coach Matt LaFleur likely won’t pigeonhole his system until he knows whom he can trust. Musgrave is talented but was held back by injury in college, and Kraft has similar skills but played at the FCS level. Both can catch passes, but how well do they block? That skill is critical in LaFleur’s run game.”
The tight end position battle is one to keep an eye on throughout training camp for the Packers. Given the emphasis that LaFleur’s system puts on blocking, there is a chance that Josiah Deguara is the nominal No. 1 tight end.
Deguara is entering Year 4 as one of the most experienced skill position players on the roster. However, he doesn’t possess the pass-catching upside that rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft do.
Given the dearth of experienced pass catchers on the roster, it would not be surprising to see Musgrave and Kraft receive plenty of chances as well. As Edholm noted, LaFleur has to figure out who he can trust before figuring out alignments and if either rookie emerges as a reliable pass catcher, they will see the field early and often.
Based on projections that have been made this offseason, the smart money would be on Musgrave claiming the No. 1 spot on the tight end depth chart at some point during the season. However, things could quickly change once practices and preseason games get underway in the coming weeks.