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The Green Bay Packers were one of the most inconsistent teams in the NFL in the first half of the season. They looked like a legitimate Super Bowl contender one week, and lost to a bad team the next.
Now, they’ve lost their best weapon in the red zone, tight end Tucker Kraft, and that’s clearly not going to do much to help their cause. With that in mind, insider Rob Demovsky revealed a “tangible second-half goal” for the Packers.
“Tangible second-half goal: Find another playmaker for Jordan Love,” Demovsky wrote. “That won’t be easy with the loss of tight end Tucker Kraft to a season-ending knee injury in Week 9. When he was injured, Kraft was tied for second among tight ends with six touchdown catches and ranked third among tight ends with 489 yards receiving. Kraft was Love’s second-most targeted player behind Romeo Doubs. The good news is that Christian Watson has returned from last season’s torn ACL and already has shown flashes of his big-play ability. The Packers should also get back receiver Jayden Reed, who is rehabbing after foot surgery and a broken collarbone.”
Kraft was having an All-Pro-caliber season. Though they just got Watson back, and as much as he should be capable of picking up some of the slack in the passing game, the wide receiver doesn’t play the same position.
The Packers reportedly reached out to the Cleveland Browns to try to get tight end David Njoku at the NFL trade deadline. Yet, the Browns weren’t interested in parting with their veteran pending free agent.
As a result, Green Bay will most likely have to trust Luke Musgrave for the remainder of the season. He entered the league in the same year as Kraft, and he has shown signs of promise as a pass catcher.
If not, Love will have to keep targeting the wide receivers with hopes that someone can take a leap. With rookie Matthew Golden, Doubs, Watson, or Reed when he returns from injury, the quarterback should have plenty of options.
NEXT: Jordan Love Sends Confident Message Ahead Of Eagles Matchup