Matt LaFleur provides encouraging injury update on 15-TD star

Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers suffered another disappointing end to their season in 2025. 

The team showed some flashes of excellence, but ultimately couldn't get past the Wild Card round for the second season in a row. One big thing that hurt the Packers was the season-ending injury star tight end Tucker Kraft suffered in November. 

Kraft tore his ACL on Nov. 2 against the Carolina Panthers, and that injury left a giant hole in the offense. Kraft, despite playing in just eight games, still ended the season tied for the team lead in receiving scores and third in receiving yards. 

Naturally, the Packers are hoping Kraft is ready to go for the start of the 2026 season. And, luckily, LaFleur provided an optimistic update on Sunday. 

While speaking at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, LaFleur was asked about Kraft. 

“He’s been around quite a bit. Watching him train and rehab and go through that process, he’s gonna be a big focal point of our offense,” LaFleur said. The head coach added that Kraft is “right on schedule” in his recovery.

This is certainly good news, as the Packers are hoping to contend in 2026, and Kraft is a big part of that. The offense struggled to find much consistency after Kraft's injury, as much of the pressure fell on Romeo Doubs. 

In 2025, Kraft ended his season with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns. The tight end has 1,551 yards and 15 touchdowns over his three seasons with the Packers so far. 

Meanwhile, Kraft's backup, Luke Musgrave, has never had more than 352 yards in a season. 

Kraft's role should only be larger in 2026 considering Doubs departed in free agency. Doubs led the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2025, so his departure leaves a lot of targets on the table. 

The Packers also haven't made any notable additions to the pass-catcher group in free agency. Of course, the draft is still to come, but regardless, it seems like the plan is for Kraft to be fully healthy and ready to go in 2026. 

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