In-house improvement appears to be the name of the game for the Green Bay Packers’ offense.
Barring any massive trades, and with all the top receiving threats already picked over, general manager Brian Gutekunst will count on drastic leaps from within to help with what was a sluggish passing game for much of last season.
Within that group is a strong candidate who could provide the boost they need, and it’s not a wide receiver. It’s Luke Musgrave, and he needs a larger role moving forward.
Severe injuries have limited Musgrave in his first two NFL seasons. A lacerated spleen in 2023 derailed his rookie campaign and limited him to just 11 games. Last year an ankle injury that required surgery put him on the shelf for quite some time, and he only logged nine games.
Tight end Tucker Kraft emerged as one of the top targets in the offense last season. Kraft was second on the team in targets, receptions, and yards, and he was first in receiving touchdowns.
Kraft and Musgrave were part of the same draft class in 2023, and the Packers selected Musgrave a round before the South Dakota State Jackrabbit.
Green Bay drafted Kraft as a run-blocking tight end who had production in the receiving game but more so as a secondary option. However, he has evolved into a do-it-all tight end.
The Packers drafted Musgrave to be a vertical threat, a pass-catching monster for the Packers and in Matt LaFleur’s system. Yet after the injuries he suffered, Kraft has leapfrogged Musgrave as the top tight end.
That doesn’t mean Musgrave will be out of the equation moving forward.
Musgrave’s length at tight end, combined with his ability to zoom past a linebacker, puts him in prime territory to be a strong option to take a leap forward in 2025. Health is wealth, and Musgrave must be available for the contributions to be plentiful. Still, if he can check that box, the Packers can finally see what they have in the TE — and opportunities shouldn’t be hard to come by.
The plan seems to be the same as 2024 for the Packers, which is: Have a bunch of decent options to throw to and hope that one or two take seize the opportunity and become a significant threat.
Could Musgrave really become the top threat in the Green Bay’s passing game?
Probably not.
However, given his versatility and strengths as a pass-catching tight end, the ability to line him up outside or on the line will give LaFleur flexibility.
Suppose the Green Bay brought in a veteran like Davante Adams or D.K. Metcalf. Then, opportunities for someone like Musgrave likely wouldn’t have been as plentiful, even though he plays a different position. However, with the Packers opting to gamble on internal improvement, he has to be part of the blueprint.
Also, how many 6’6” guys exist in the NFL who can also scoot like Musgrave? He’s a matchup nightmare for a defensive coordinator. But exactly what he can do with that size and speed remains somewhat unknown.
For instance, with Romeo Doubs, you know who he is as a wide receiver: a reliable target with great hands but likely a team’s primary pass-catching threat.
How about third-year guys Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks? Reed has shown flashes of a No. 1 but not the consistency, while Wicks has to solve his drops issue.
Have you seen the videos where someone approaches a person and says, “I can give you this amount of money now or you can have the mystery box?” Whether it’s $100, $500, or even $1,000, the mystery box is the alternative.
It’s tempting. It’s exciting. You don’t know what’s inside. Heck, it could be $10,000!
Musgrave is the mystery box. He could have No. 1 tight end written all over him. Or not. He could be a gadget piece who plays less than half the snaps even when he is healthy. Nobody knows yet.
That’s what makes him so intriguing.
Considering the state of Green Bay’s offense at this point in the offseason, they have no choice but to figure out what they have in Musgrave in 2025. They can’t use the excuse of having too many mouths to feed, with no veteran being brought in and Christian Watson set to miss a significant portion of the season. They can’t use the crutch of Kraft being the top tight end.
Musgrave might just be the key to the passing game taking a step forward in 2025. It’s a mystery that will remain tantalizing until the season kicks off in September.