Packer Central

Packers-Browns Inactives: Huge Updates for Tucker Kraft, Zach Tom

Tight end Tucker Kraft and right tackle Zach Tom were questionable for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Here’s the big pregame news.
Bill Huber|
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) celebrates a touchdown against the Washington Commanders last week.
Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) celebrates a touchdown against the Washington Commanders last week. | William Glasheen / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers will have two of their top players on the field for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, with tight end Tucker Kraft and right tackle Zach Tom active.

Meanwhile, for the Browns, perennial Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio (back) will play but former All-Pro right right tackle Jack Conklin (elbow) is out. Cornelius Lucas, who has allowed a lot of pressure in about one-and-a-half games, will replace Conklin.

The Packers listed only three players on their final injury report.

Active: RT Zach Tom (oblique) was listed as questionable on Friday. Tom was injured while trying to avoid quarterback Jordan Love, who was shoved to the turf after a nullified interception in Week 1 against Detroit. Tom didn’t play against the Commanders last week and was limited participation at practice all week.

Active: TE Tucker Kraft (knee) also was questionable. Kraft suffered a knee injury on Thursday, which meant a brief scare. Turns out, it was just a tweak. While he didn’t practice on Friday, he was pulling a heavy sled while everyone else was getting warmed up. Kraft chatted with coach Matt LaFleur and must have said all the right things.

Out: WR Jayden Reed (collarbone/foot) was ruled out on Friday. The Packers placed Reed on injured reserve on Saturday. Not surprisingly, they didn’t fill the roster spot. Surprisingly, they didn’t elevate anyone from the practice squad.

With Reed and defensive end Brenton Cox on injured reserve but not replaced on the 53, the Packers have only a 51-man roster. With no elevations, they have a short inactives list.

The presence of Tom and Kraft can’t be understated against the No. 1-ranked defense in the NFL. On one of the best teams in the league, they are two of its best players. Both will face challenges.

For Kraft, the Browns have allowed only six catches for 42 yards against tight ends. Just three teams have allowed fewer yards. Last week, Ravens star Mark Andrews caught 1-of-3 passes for 2 yards.

Kraft has played more than 90 percent of the snaps to start the season. It would stand to reason he could play less on Sunday, meaning more chances for Luke Musgrave and John FitzPatrick. While Kraft is the all-around star, Musgrave is a quality receiver and FitzPatrick an excellent blocker.

“I just kind of developed that mindset in college when I was a freshman” at Georgia, FitzPatrick said on Friday. “I think it just translated over and continued to grow and get bigger and more physical, especially with some of these guys that we face. And then you want to be the winner every time rather than losing a block. It’s you vs. him, so that’s what I try to do.”

After missing last week’s game, Tom’s primary matchup will be against Isaiah McGuire. Among 68 edge defenders with at least 40 pass-rushing snaps, McGuire ranks 14th in pass-rush win rate and is tied for ninth in pass-rushing productivity, a Pro Football Focus metric that measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. McGuire is tied for 14th with nine pressures. That’s as many as Rashan Gary and Nick Bosa.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get out there and we’ll see on Sunday,” Tom said.

On Wednesday, Tom said it was “kind of hard to run.” He moved gingerly during the portion of Wednesday’s practice that was open to reporters. He was moving much better on Thursday, though; reporters only got to watch players stretch on Friday.

“I guess a little bit it’s up to me,” Tom said after Friday’s practice. “I did a little bit of practice today and we’ll see how it goes on Sunday. But, obviously, the long-term does play a part into it but, sh**, I want to be out there. It’s kind of like two sides pulling against each other, because I want to be out there but I also want to be able to play well. And I think the biggest thing is just going to be, am I confident? And how bad is the pain? It’s just weighing the options and going from there.”

Tom missed the end of the Detroit game and was inactive last week, with rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton starting and playing most of the game.

“I think he has the potential to be obviously a really good player,” Tom said. “I think he did some good things on tape on Thursday. He showed that’s kind of like the tip of the iceberg. He has good feet, good hands. He has some things he needs to clean up, but yeah, I mean I think you can see it on the film. His set looks clean, he’s good in the run game. I’m really excited for him.”

For Cleveland, kick returner/receiver DeAndre Carter emerged from the concussion protocol and kicker Andre Szmyt (left calf) will play. So will Bitonio, who has been selected for seven consecutive Pro Bowls with five All-Pro selections during that span. He has been dealing with a back injury but has not allowed a sack this season.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.