The Green Bay Packers put together some great rosters during the Aaron Rodgers era. Looking at what each of them were able to accomplish between September and January, it’s still surprising that the 2010 season was the only one that culminated in a championship. Contrary to many of the splashy moves made around the league, the Packers have stuck to a methodical strategy of replacing outgoing talent by drafting and developing. This has paid dividends. A new wave of homegrown talent has steadily taken over.
But there’s one position they haven’t been able to figure out.
When they showed Jordy Nelson the door, a future Hall of Famer stepped into his shoes. When the secondary devolved from a Sam Shields– and Tramon Williams-led strength into a glaring weakness, in came an exciting rookie out of Louisville. When Clay Matthews’ time began to dwindle, Nick Perry emerged; the torch was then passed to the Smith brothers, and now it’s safe in the hands of another Gutekunst-grown superstar, Rashan Gary. However, for all the injuries, aging, and other personnel developments that Green Bay has overcome, the tight end position has been a question mark since the moment Jermichael Finley took a devastating hit in Week 7 of the 2013 season.
The following year, it was Andrew Quarless. Then Richard Rodgers, whose name is forever etched in NFC North lore, took over for a couple years. Jared Cook is hard to forget because of his toe-drag swag, but he only lasted a season. The Packers had a Martellus Bennett experiment in 2017, before Gutey unsuccessfully attempted a big shake-up by signing Jimmy Graham. It’s pretty much been the Robert Tonyan show since then, with a side of Marcedes Lewis. After Tonyan headed to a division rival, like a bizarrely large number of Packers role players before him, Gutekunst took another shot at the enigma that has been tight end.
Green Bay had a plethora of needs to address at last April’s draft, but the front office showed just how serious they are about solving their tight end conundrum. They selected Luke Musgrave out of Oregon State in the second-round before going back for seconds with SDSU’s Tucker Kraft one round later. Whether that’s firing two bullets at the same target, an attempt to give each a custom role, or somewhere in between, it’s an important jolt for a young offense. It’s also important for a young quarterback who will benefit from outlets closer to the line of scrimmage and in the middle of the field.
Early on, it appears Musgrave is the favorite to carry the starting job into Week 1. According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic:
The Packers think he can be the true No. 1 pass-catching tight end that Robert Tonyan was at times, but not consistently enough, someone like Jermichael Finley in his prime perhaps. The best-case scenario for the Packers is Musgrave developing into almost a wide receiver, someone who can line up anywhere and make plays all over the field like Travis Kelce, Darren Waller, and the other most athletic tight ends in the NFL.
A couple of things stand out there. First, it certainly makes sense that this is the upside they are looking for, as Waller himself was part of the original Davante Adams trade. Green Bay also reportedly tried to trade for him near last season’s trade deadline. Additionally, Finley is name-checked. The Packers remember who they were with that type of impact coming from the tight end position, and they’re intent on restoring it.
So, why can Musgrave succeed where so many others have come up short in the past decade? I think that any major hole the Packers attempt to patch on the open market is destined for a rockier solution. Case in point: Upon landing on a reliable target and good fit in Cook, they failed to re-sign him that offseason due to his market. Having a high-quality talent, selected at a premium pick, on a rookie contract provides ample opportunity for development and problem-solving. Furthermore, Matt LaFleur has shown a greater affinity for tight end motions, flat routes, and red-zone activity than his predecessor. While Tonyan showed flashes of being a Walmart George Kittle with his ferocity and athleticism, a torn ACL suffered in 2022 prevented him from reaching his ceiling in Green Bay.
The Packers’ offense found its field-stretcher of the future last season in Christian Watson. They’ve brought in a bunch of other young guys, namely Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed, to lead the rest of the receiver room. But it will likely be the running backs and tight ends that keep Jordan Love comfortable and make life easy, which LaFleur has made a point of emphasis for Love’s first year at the helm. It’s the perfect environment for Musgrave to emerge as a ball hog between the chains, and to begin flipping the switch on the tight end position in Green Bay for years to come.
