GREEN BAY – The Packers returned to Ray Nitschke Field in shoulder pads for a warm Tuesday practice.
Here are five things we learned:
- Tucker Kraft took another big step forward in his return.
Kraft, the second-year tight end, took 11-on-11 snaps for the first time in camp, continuing the progress begun when he returned to practice for individual drills last week.
Kraft missed all of OTAs and minicamp and the first portion of training camp due to a torn pectoral muscle that required surgery. He emphasized Tuesday he's no longer thinking about the injury.
"I'm on the field for a reason and that's because me, Gutey (GM Brian Gutekunst) and the sports medicine staff believe my injury is behind me," Kraft said. "The rear-view mirror, we pulled that off the roof of the car. That's not there anymore. We're all boats ahead."
There's plenty of curiosity as to what Kraft and fellow 2023 draft pick at tight end Luke Musgrave can bring to the offense when they're on the field together, which was the case for less than 100 snaps last season due to injuries to both players.
One play Tuesday showed a glimpse, as QB Jordan Love threw a screen pass to Musgrave in the flat. One of his lead blockers? Kraft, who landed an effective block on safety Javon Bullard to spring Musgrave for a sizable gain.
"That was a play where things just went my way," Kraft said. "Sometimes you've got to improvise when you're out there on the field. It was like a homecoming play – applying technique in open space and finishing. So it was good."
While Kraft certainly enjoys the pass-catching responsibilities in his job after posting 31 catches for 355 yards and two TDs last season (plus another TD in the playoffs), he takes a ton of pride in his blocking ability and is looking forward to fully regaining his footing in that area as his comeback continues.
"You can open up a lot of things in our offense by being a reliable run blocker," he said. "That's what I want to be. I want the running backs to be able to trust their landmarks when they see me on the front side, and I want to see explosive runs in the offense.
"That just opens up a whole new avenue of plays I can set up for myself by being good in the run game. I plan on just being me. I just want to be me out there again."
- The upcoming trip to Denver will be very different from last week's preseason cameo.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur has indicated the Packers' starters won't play in the preseason game Sunday night in Denver, instead using Friday's joint practice with the Broncos for the starters to get their reps.
The work could be more beneficial than playing in the game anyway, as teams might dig deeper into their playbooks for a practice whose film is not shared leaguewide (as game films are).
"You get some different periods, get to see some pressures and different things from a different scheme," Love said. "It's good."
Love added he'd look at last season's game film against Denver for a quick refresher on the Broncos' system before Friday. In that October 2023 game, the Packers were shut out in the first half before getting things going in the second half.
"You get to see a lot more and then you get to go back and break it down on film," Love said of the joint practice. "It's good to be able to see new looks."
- First-round draft pick Jordan Morgan is back on the field.
Morgan has returned to practice on a limited basis from the shoulder injury that kept him out last week. He's not taking any 11-on-11 snaps yet, though, as Sean Rhyan handled the first-team work at right guard.
Also returning to action were cornerback Jaire Alexander, who missed the Cleveland preseason game due to a personal issue, along with receiver Dimitri Stanley, defensive lineman Deslin Alexandre and offensive lineman Donovan Jennings.
Rookie running back MarShawn Lloyd, who injured his hamstring in Cleveland, is not practicing. Fellow running back Jarveon Howard is also out with an ankle injury.
Remaining out due to injury are cornerback Carrington Valentine, defensive lineman Keshawn Banks and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper. Fellow linebackers Quay Walker and Ty'Ron Hopper were practicing during drills but did not take any 11-on-11 snaps, as Ralen Goforth and Kristian Welch worked with the first-team defense alongside Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson.
- The defense won the day, but the offense had its moments.
The offensive players were doing push-ups at the end of the workout again, but there was some back-and-forth in terms of unit success.
Early in practice, Love connected twice on deep balls to Christian Watson and Jayden Reed, but he was also almost intercepted by Welch. Backup QB Sean Clifford was picked off by safety Zayne Anderson.
In an end-of-game red-zone situation that started just inside the 20 with 22 seconds on the clock, Love scored in three snaps, hitting Dontayvion Wicks to get inside the 5, spiking the ball to stop the clock with nine seconds left, and then finding Romeo Doubs for the TD near the front pylon.
Rookie QB Michael Pratt wasn't as successful there, as his attempt was thwarted inside the 10 when defensive lineman T.J. Slaton swatted away a pass at the line of scrimmage and Lukas Van Ness came off the blind side for a would-be sack.
The tables were turned in the final two-minute drill, though, as Love's drive quickly stalled out, but Pratt's possession featured a big gainer on a shot down the middle to tight end Ben Sims, setting up a field goal.
- The kicking competition's third entry had a rough day.
Rookie kicker Alex Hale, who did not get any work in the preseason game in Cleveland, was just 5-of-9 on field goals as the lone kicker in this practice. He made his first four attempts before missing four in a row – one from 47 yards and three others from 50-plus, all wide right, including one that hit the upright – before hitting from 44 yards out to cap Pratt's two-minute drive that ended practice.
