Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a shoulder injury during last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans. By then, Green Bay was up two scores late into the third quarter and probably could have finished the game without Kraft. However, the second-year tight end felt like he could continue playing, so he did.
“It wasn’t even a question in my head,” said Kraft. “I desire to be on the field.”
After a brief exit, Kraft returned to the game and even made a tackle on punt coverage a few plays later. This came after he had already done extensive work as a run blocker.
That is the kind of dirty work expected out of tight end in Green Bay. If you’re not catching passes, you’re getting your hands dirty as a blocker or on special teams.
Tight end can be one of the game’s most demanding positions. After catching a pass, you’re tackled like a receiver. When you’re asked to block, you’re expected to do so against defensive linemen who may outweigh you by more than 30 pounds. Naturally, with all the physicality, injuries happen.
Kraft embraces the challenge, using it as motivation. Following Thursday’s practice, Kraft revealed he has new inspiration for who he wants to model his game after.
“Last night, I got on YouTube and looked up Mark Bavaro, so that’s just kind of the mindset I’m going with from now on. I’m going to be tough; I’m going to play through things. Everybody does,” Kraft said.
Bavaro played nine seasons in the NFL (1985-94) and was regarded as one of the league’s toughest players for his playstyle and ability to play through injuries. Bavaro’s head coach at Notre Dame, Gerry Faust, even said, “He plays with pain better than any player I’ve seen in my 37 years of coaching.”
Born in 2000, Kraft obviously never got to see Bavaro play live. However, after hearing about Bavaro from people around him, including Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, he decided to check him out.
“I’ve had a lot of people tell me to look him up, especially coach Rich Bisaccia. He said you got to give this guy a look, so I did, and I was amazed,” he said.
Watching Bavaro, Kraft gained respect for his physicality in both the run game and his ability to pick up yards after the catch.
“Just being physical, being tough, YAC — that’s really all that guy was worried about. He set a precedent in the run game, so it’s just trying to channel my inner Bavaro,” Kraft said with a grin.
Through the first three games, Kraft is doing a pretty good job of emulating the retired tight end. Entering the season, one of his goals was to be one of the run-blocking tight ends in outside zone. He’s off to a pretty good start as a key contributor for the league’s No. 1 rushing offense. Kraft has also caught six passes for 76 yards. In Bavaro fashion, 66 of those yards have come after the catch, which ranks sixth among tight ends in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.
There’s nothing wrong with idolizing players known for their toughness, but there’s also a need to be smart about injuries. Green Bay’s medical staff tends to err on the side of caution regarding a player’s health, but they will clear someone if they are confident they can protect themselves.
This week in practice, Kraft has been wearing a red non-contact jersey to keep him healthy for a highly-anticipated matchup with the 3-0 Minnesota Vikings. Knowing the skillset he brings to the offense, the Packers aren’t going to risk any long-term injuries to Kraft. Still, they can appreciate his grit and toughness.
