Given Second Chance, Son of ‘Hog’ Has Great Chance to Make Packers’ Roster

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Jim Lachey was an All-Pro member of the Washington Redskins’ legendary “Hogs” offensive line.

His son, Luke Lachey, is a first-year tight end for the Green Bay Packers. He signed at the end of the offseason program in June and has been quickly elevated into the first-team offense to help offset the absences of Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave.

“I’m learning. I’m learning,” he said of the offense after Thursday’s practice. “They’re doing a good job of coaching me. I’m trying to just take in all the information I can and then just align right and figure out the rest from there.”

Lachey was a seventh-round pick by the Texans last year out of Iowa. He didn’t make their final roster and spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad without playing in a game. Houston released him on May 11, and he was claimed off waivers by the Packers the next day. He failed his physical, though, and was sent home – with a comforting message.

“It was once you get healthy, we’d love to have you come back,” he said. “So, once I got healthy, we made the decision to come back here. So, super-grateful to be here in Green Bay. It’s a great place. You could just tell how much everybody loves football here and it seems a lot like Iowa City to me and being back to college again.”

The good news is Lachey returned to the Packers on June 15. The bad news is that he missed the entire offseason program. So, rather than arriving for training camp with a solid foundation in the offense, he is starting with the basics.

“I probably finished studying last night around 10 p.m., then just went to bed and came back,” he said. “So, just got to do the extra stuff because it’s going to start piling up on all the installs that we’re going to have. So, I just got to stay ready and be ready to go when my name’s called.”

Fortunately for Lachey, his offensive coordinator during his senior season at Iowa was Tim Lester, who spent the 2023 season as a senior analyst for the Packers.

“Pretty much my whole career at Iowa, we ran a pro-style offense, but especially our last year, it was actually Green Bay’s offense,” Lachey said. “Tim Lester came from here, so he kind of took everything from here and it was cool to learn that.”

Not Quite Following In His Dad’s Footsteps

Of course, it’s also helpful to have a legendary father.

Jim Lachey was a consensus All-American at Ohio State in 1984 and was a first-round pick by the Chargers in 1985. He joined the Redskins in 1988 and spent eight seasons in Washington. He was a first-team All-Pro in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and won a Super Bowl in 1991.

Luke followed his dad into football, but “he kind of let me find my own way.” He played quarterback from fourth through sixth grade, running back in middle school and was a receiver, tight end and defensive back at Grandview High School in Columbus, Ohio.

“I was a lot skinnier than he was,” he said. “Back in the day, he was like 290, which was big for an O-lineman back then. He was bigger than I was, and he was fast, too, but I felt like I was more of a basketball player and was able to use those skills from basketball and those traits to help me out at tight end.”

Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Lachey (86) participates in the DreamDrive bicycle ride before practice at training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Being the son of one of the best blockers in his era could come with pressure. Just like with RJ Maryland and Russell Maryland and Brenden Rice and Jerry Rice, there are expectations that come with the name on the back of the jersey. Lachey said he didn’t feel any of that, though.

“It’s just trying to make a name for yourself at the end of the day,” he said. “Obviously, he was great – part of ‘The Hogs’ and everything – but you’ve just got to figure out your own path at the end of the day. So, there wasn’t a lot of pressure with that. Obviously, I went to Iowa, so I wasn’t following in his footsteps at Ohio State and the legacy there, so it was cool to kind of carve out my own path.”

Big Opportunity With Packers

Rather than staying in Columbus and playing at Ohio State – his dad is a longtime analyst on the Buckeyes’ radio broadcasts – Lachey went to Iowa.

After redshirting in 2020 and starting three games in 2021, Lachey in 2022 had a breakout sophomore season with 28 catches for 398 yards and four touchdowns. It looked like he was trending toward becoming Iowa’s next big-time tight end. However, after a hot start, he missed most of the 2023 season due to injury.

As a senior, he returned to catch 28 passes for 231 yards. The intangibles are excellent as a team captain and a semifinalist for the William Campbell Trophy, which is better known as the Academic Heisman.

The Packers have an obvious void at tight end, which has nothing to do with Kraft and Musgrave and everything to do with John FitzPatrick. He was a key point-of-attack blocker but suffered a torn Achilles last season and was not re-signed.

Can the son of an elite offensive lineman handle those duties?

Those answers will start coming this week. The Packers are intrigued. While he’s new to the team, it’s been Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney and Lachey getting the reps with the core players on offense.

“I’m trying to every day, trying to keep working on my technique, physicality,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a good trait to have from my dad but that’s my dad. I can’t take everything from him. I just got to keep working on it. I’m excited to get the pads on and get blocking.”

Straight from the Bad Puns Department, it's been a picture-perfect start for new Packers cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. ⬇️https://t.co/JY16VsaJeU
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 2, 2026

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