Tucker Kraft tore his ACL against the Panthers back on November 2, 2025, had surgery about 10 days later, and has spent the better part of a year rebuilding the knee. Now he's activated off PUP and doing team drills again, which is the update Packers fans have been refreshing Twitter for since camp opened.
That report, via Andy Herman, is the good kind of news for Green Bay: Kraft in live 11-on-11s means the Packers believe the knee can handle contact-adjacent reps, not just walkthroughs. But getting back on the field and playing a full workload are two different milestones, and Kraft himself made clear this isn't a snap-count free-for-all just yet.
In comments relayed by Rob Demovsky, Kraft laid out exactly how Green Bay plans to bring him along: "They're going to take into account my rep range probably until halfway through the season, and then they're going to just pat me on the ass and send me out there and send me to the wolves." In other words, expect a managed workload through Green Bay's midseason stretch before Kraft is turned fully loose.
That's a notable line for fantasy managers and Packers fans alike. Kraft broke out in 2024 with 50 catches for 707 yards and 7 touchdowns, one of only two tight ends in the league — alongside George Kittle — to clear 50 catches, 700 yards, 7 touchdowns and a 14.0-plus yards-per-catch average. He was trending toward a true No. 1 role before the ACL tear ended his season early.
There's money on the table too. Kraft is working through contract extension talks with Green Bay, and reports have pegged him as a candidate to become the NFL's highest-paid tight end by average annual value. A limited rep plan doesn't change that calculus, but it does mean the Packers are being deliberate about not rushing their franchise piece back into a full snap count before he's truly ready — even with Jordan Love's offense counting on him.
Green Bay opens the season at Minnesota on September 13, and Kraft has said he's targeting Week 1 without restrictions. That target and this rep-management plan aren't necessarily in conflict — he can be active Week 1 and still see his workload capped early, with the Packers loosening the leash as the season goes. Worth tracking closely for anyone rostering him in fantasy or counting on him as a red-zone weapon in September.