The Green Bay Packers moved quickly to shore up a suddenly thin tight end room, agreeing to a one-year deal with veteran Jonnu Smith on Thursday.
The 31-year-old arrives as a proven pass catcher who can work from the slot or off the line, giving Jordan Love another reliable option as the team prepares for the Sept. 13 opener at Minnesota.
Smith spent last season as a complementary piece in Pittsburgh after a career year in Miami, where he posted 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns and earned his first Pro Bowl nod. His familiarity with Matt LaFleur, who coached him as the Titans’ offensive coordinator in 2018, should ease the transition into Green Bay’s scheme.
As Lior Lampert of Lombardi Ave observed, the signing says more about Luke Musgrave’s uncertain status than it does about Tucker Kraft’s recovery. Kraft, coming off ACL surgery, remains on track to play in Week 1 and will still occupy the featured role when healthy.
Musgrave, however, has been sidelined since a neck injury during June minicamp and remains on the physically unable to perform list with no clear timetable.
That absence left the Packers with little proven depth behind Kraft—Josh Whyle and Drake Dabney offered limited NFL production—and created a practical need for an experienced body who can contribute immediately in the passing game.
Smith is not a classic in-line blocker. He has thrived more as a move tight end who can create mismatches after the catch, a profile that overlaps with Musgrave’s rather than Kraft’s. That similarity is useful if Musgrave’s recovery stretches into the regular season. It also gives LaFleur flexibility in 12 personnel and two-tight-end looks without asking an unproven player to absorb a heavy snap share.
Smith’s production dipped last year behind Pat Freiermuth in Pittsburgh, but the 2024 tape in Miami remains recent enough that Green Bay can reasonably expect him to be more than a veteran placeholder.
The move also fits a modest offseason pattern. Green Bay has shown more willingness to add older, established players than in recent years, following earlier additions of Javon Hargrave, Zaire Franklin and Tyrod Taylor. Smith becomes the first offensive skill-position veteran in that group.
For a team that already counts on Kraft, Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden as its core pass-catchers, another trustworthy target reduces the risk that an injury at tight end forces Love into predictable looks.
Whether Smith becomes a weekly contributor or a short-term insurance policy will depend on how quickly Musgrave progresses and how Kraft’s knee holds up.
In the meantime, the Packers have bought themselves a measure of stability at a position that suddenly looked fragile. A one-year deal keeps the commitment modest while giving the offense a player who has already shown he can produce in a similar system.
For a roster still sorting its final 53, that kind of low-risk, high-familiarity addition is exactly the kind of move a team makes when one injury changes the math.
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