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.
