Tag: Luke Musgrave

Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said tight end Luke Musgrave has a “serious” ankle injury and is “more than likely” headed to injured reserve, although the team is hopeful Musgrave will return this season.

“He’s been dealing with something and fighting through, so he’s going to be down for some time,” LaFleur said Thursday.

Musgrave didn’t practice last week but was active as an emergency option at tight end against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. He then practiced Wednesday in a limited capacity before missing Thursday’s practice.

LaFleur said Musgrave’s ability to fight through the significant injury speaks to his “toughness” and “competitiveness,” but he also admitted the Packers didn’t initially know the severity of the ankle injury.

“I don’t think we understood how serious it was,” LaFleur said.

LaFleur said “the hope” is that Musgrave returns and plays again this season.

Over four games, Musgrave caught five passes.

This will be the second time on injured reserve in two seasons for Musgrave. He suffered a lacerated kidney in November of last year and missed six games.

Without Musgrave, the Packers will move forward with Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims at tight end. Kraft looks like a blossoming star. LaFleur said Sims has “done a nice job” in his role, and he thinks he can make plays in the passing game while also contributing as an inline blocker.

The team will also add John FitzPatrick, who is being signed off the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons.

“Bigger, wide body. I heard he’s a great guy. We’re excited to have him here,” LaFleur said.

Going on injured reserve will require Musgrave, a 2023 second-round pick, to miss at least four games, although it sounds like his absence will be longer than a month.

The ankle injury for Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave might have worsened. After getting in a limited practice on Wednesday, Musgrave was not participating during Thursday’s practice, per Mike Spofford of the team’s official site.

Musgrave didn’t practice last week but was active as an emergency option last week against the Los Angeles Rams. He did not play a snap in the game.

It’s possible Musgrave aggravated the injury during Wednesday’s practice. Or the injury isn’t responding to on-field movement and Musgrave needed the day off Thursday. Either way, Musgrave’s absence Thursday — combined with his uncertain availability for Sunday’s visit from the Arizona Cardinals — likely contributed to the Packers signing tight end John FitzPatrick off the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday.

The Packers need to clear a roster spot to add FitzPatrick, so injured reserve could be a possibility for Musgrave. If he lands on injured reserve, he’ll need to miss the next four games before he’s eligible to return.

Musgrave, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft, has five catches for 22 yards in four games this season. His longest catch is only six yards.

After playing 66 percent of offensive snaps in 11 games last season, Musgrave has been on the field for only 39 percent of snaps to start the 2024 season. The big reason? The emergence of Tucker Kraft, who can block and catch and looks like one of the next great young tight ends in the NFL.

The Packers also have Ben Sims at tight end.

Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave didn’t practice all week due to a new ankle injury, but the second-year pass-catcher is expected to test out the ankle pre-game on Sunday in hopes of playing against the Los Angeles Rams, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. Even if Musgrave is available, he is expected to be limited, per Schefter.

Musgrave, a second-round pick in 2023, didn’t practice on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday this week but was given a questionable listing on the final injury report.

In four games to start the 2024 season, Musgrave has only five catches on seven targets for 22 yards. His average depth of target is only 6.1 yards, per PFF.

Last season, Musgrave caught his first career touchdown pass in a win over the Rams at Lambeau Field. He finished with three catches for 51 yards, which was, at the time, a career high.

Musgrave has taken a backseat to Tucker Kraft at tight end to start this season. He has been on the field for only 108 snaps, or roughly 39 percent of the offense’s snaps. Kraft has played 227 snaps.

The Packers have Ben Sims as a backup at tight end, and Andrew Beck — a veteran fullback — could play snaps as a move blocker for Matt LaFleur if Musgrave isn’t available.

Musgrave is one of seven players listed as questionable for Sunday. Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Carrington Valentine, offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins and Jordan Morgan and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper are also questionable, and defensive lineman Jonathan Ford — who was designated for return from injured reserve — is questionable on the injury report but won’t play.

Across an NFL landscape where every team wants to find their version of Travis Kelce or George Kittle, the Green Bay Packers believe they have a budding star at tight end in Luke Musgrave. A second-round pick in 2023, there’s no denying that Musgrave flashed tremendous upside as a rookie, but the team now needs him to take the next step.

First and foremost, Musgrave will need to stay healthy. He missed six games last season due to a kidney laceration. The injury came at an unfortunate time for Musgrave, as he was starting to gain his footing in the offense. After missing some valuable time, Musgrave returned to the lineup for the regular season finale to cap off a productive rookie season of 34 receptions for 352 yards and a touchdown in 11 games.

Despite not being fully healthy, Musgrave showed flashes of what we saw pre-injury, putting together a strong postseason performance in Green Bay’s 48-32 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card Round. In just 15 snaps, Musgrave hauled in three catches for 52 yards, including a beautifully schemed 38-yard touchdown.

Though the Packers’ season ended prematurely the following week at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers, they saw enough out of Musgrave to be excited about what he can do in the offense moving forward. Green Bay hasn’t had a tight end with Musgrave’s size and speed since Jermichael Finely, a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses during his heyday.

Entering Year 2, the expectation is for Musgrave’s role within the offense to expand. However, on Thursday, when asked about what he saw from Musgrave during this year’s training camp, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich gave an honest answer about his performance, recognizing his progress and the work that still needs to be done.

“It was up and down,” Stenavich said Thursday. “I thought he made a lot of good strides in the pass game. There’s still some stuff I’d like to see him work on, but I’m excited to see him play. He flashed some really special things out there at times. Yeah, I’m excited to go out there and watch him compete.”

With Green Bay resting most of its starters during the preseason, Musgrave played seven offensive snaps and did not log a single target. As a result, practice provided the best indicator of where Musgrave stands in his development. While he certainly had his moments out on Ray Nitschke Field this summer, moments of brilliance were few and far between.

A quiet camp and preseason may not mean a whole lot for Musgrave, who is a popular pick for the Packers as a potential breakout player. As Stenavich noted, he still has room to improve.

Loaded with talent at wide receiver and tight end, Green Bay aims to be one of the NFL’s top offenses in 2024. Growth from Musgrave could be a crucial factor in achieving that goal. If he hits the ground running this season, don’t be surprised if he eventually emerges as one of the league’s top tight ends.