Heading into Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, it was clear the Green Bay Packers were focused on upgrading one key position.
After losing star tight end Tucker Kraft , who led the team with 489 yards receiving and six touchdowns, to a season-ending ACL injury, Green Bay was on the hunt to find a suitable replacement.
The team’s primary focus was on Las Vegas Raiders backup tight end Michael Mayer, the No. 35 overall pick in 2023 who had become expendable with the emergence of Brock Bowers, and according to Raiders reporter Mitchell Renz, Green Bay was pushing hard to acquire the 24-year-old to no avail.
The team also reportedly checked in on Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku, but the trade deadline came and passed and the Packers didn’t make any moves.
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However, the team did add a Kraft replacement to the roster not long after the deadline, adding former Tennessee Titans TE Josh Whyle to the active roster from the practice squad, as confirmed by the team.
Whyle’s addition seems to indicate what head coach Matt LaFleur stated after Kraft’s injury that the team will be counting on filling Kraft’s role from within.
“It’s going to be tough, but it’s football,” LaFleur said. “The other guys are going to have to step up.”
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In two NFL seasons, Whyle, 26, has totaled 37 receptions on 52 targets for 342 yards and two touchdowns. He was a fifth-round pick of the Titans in 2023.
Though Whyle will likely see some playing time in Kraft’s absence, the bulk of Green Bay’s TE production will likely come from former second-round pick Luke Musgrave, who has nine catches on 10 targets for 88 yards this season, and backup John Fitzpatrick, who has five catches for 24 yards and a touchdown.
Musgrave had a solid rookie season two years ago (34 receptions, 352 yards one TD), but he took a backseat to Kraft, who had a breakout 2024 season with 50 catches, 707 yards and seven TDs.
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