Packers Play and Player of Day: Tucker Kraft’s Biblical Mindset After Big Day at Training Camp

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Tucker Kraft took the next big step in his comeback from last year’s torn ACL by playing his first team reps of Green Bay Packers training camp on Sunday.

Injury or no injury, he would have been our daily Player of the Day.

Player of the Day: Tucker Kraft

Asked before Sunday’s practice if premier tight end Tucker Kraft would take part in his first 11-on-11 snaps since last year’s torn ACL, coach Matt LaFleur said, “I think you could be in for a treat today.”

Yeah, Kraft was a treat. He caught four passes and scored a touchdown, which he celebrated with a colossal spike of the ball.

“It was bittersweet, that’s for sure,” he said of the spike. “My first competitive 11-on-11 touchdown, so just excited.”

After the touchdown, he did seven consecutive jumping chest bumps. They were, in order, with Matthew Golden, Jager Burton, Skyy Moore, Bo Melton, Savion Williams, Jayden Reed and MarShawn Lloyd. Finally, Jacob Monk gave him a run-of-the-mill high-five.

“That tired me out,” he said. “It was nice to get back to the starfish. That’s what we call it. That’s something I did a lot. Partying in the end zone, starfishes in the end zone. It was fun to get back.”

The big question, though, wasn’t how Kraft was feeling after a milestone practice. It was why he was practicing in the first place.

Kraft is waiting for a contract extension that might make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL and put him at $20 million per season. The contract extension that Cardinals star Trey McBride signed last season included $43 million guaranteed.

That’s a lot of money.

And a lot of money that could be lost with a serious injury. Just look at how he was injured last season, a freak play in which he ran into Sean Rhyan’s foot. Tight ends play on the line of scrimmage. There’s always a risk of a wrong-place, wrong-time type of injury.

So, why is he risking tens of millions of dollars?

“I’ll always put it back on the team,” he said. “Every one of these guys comes in here – this is a violent sport and we risk life and limb. Guys have to medically retire from this sh**. They’re banging heads, they’ve got messed up necks, backs. How many times can you blow a knee out?

“Guys keep fighting and clawing to come back into this locker room, and that’s the reason I do it. There’s other attributes. I want to leave a legacy on this sport as a whole. I want my children to see the lengths I would go to to fight for something I love, and I think I have it right here in the ‘G.’”

Sure, and that’s a great sentiment. But did it ever cross his mind to keep himself limited to individual drills until pen meets paper and contract extension is contract reality?

Tucker Kraft returned to team drills today. Here are the tight ends from practice. pic.twitter.com/E2UQCCwTZG
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 16, 2026

“Never crossed my mind,” he said.

But what about the risk?

“That’s up to God,” he said. “I’ve said this multiple times, in the Bible over 350 times, it says ‘do not fear.’ That’s one of His greatest commandments. Something happens to me again, it’s just up to God.”

Kraft was sensational. His first catch was a short completion against Edgerrin Cooper. Later, with Jordan Love using play-action, Kraft got open on a crossing route for a gain of about 15 yards against Xavier McKinney.

Next, he caught the touchdown pass. It was a slant; safety Evan Williams could have popped him near the goal line. Finally, he caught a short pass over the middle against linebacker Zaire Franklin, who hauled him to the turf. Kraft got up and handed the ball to Franklin. Franklin didn’t take the ball, though; rather, he swatted it away.

“Yeah, I’m just getting back on the horse,” he said. “Now that I’ve gotten back to team reps as I continue to accumulate reps, I hope I can continue to rise my game, as well, take myself to new heights rather than just return to pre-injury.”

Kraft said “that’s the goal” when asked if he expects to have a new contract before the season kicks off at the Vikings.

“I think we’re a different team when I’m out on the field, and I think that’s obvious,” he said. “I think everyone in this organization, every fan knows that, without sounding arrogant. I think there’s a different feel to the offense when I’m out there.

“I’ve gone through life, just taking things blow by blow, assuming things will always just work out in the end. So me, the preparation, the sacrifices I’ve made to be here right now, I’m just going to continue to assume that it’s all going to work out for me.”

Play of the Day

On third-and-10 in a 2-minute drill, Jordan Love fired a pass to the sideline to Matthew Golden. The ball was a bit short of the mark, and rookie cornerback Brandon Cisse made a tumbling interception.

The Packers will hope that it’s the first of many for the team’s top draft pick and presumptive Week 1 starter. It was an impressive play for a player dinged in the draft process because he had only two interceptions in three college seasons.

“In that coverage, we're putting a lot of stress on the backside corner, and that's where I'm at,” he said. “It's kind of one-on-one, kind of pushing zone away from it. You understand in a call like that, the easy access throw for the quarterback is the backside corner because that's his matchup and that's where the ball is.

“It's man-on-man, and those kind of moments you kind of want to be in as a corner, knowing the ball's coming at you. Just trusting my instincts, athleticism and just going out there trying to make a play.”

Golden’s ankle got twisted a bit on the play but he was back in short order.

It was one of three interceptions by a rampaging defense, two of which were thrown by Love. The other was caught by Kitan Oladapo

“It was a high-low, three to the flat, two ran an out. Just hinged and J-Love threw the ball,” Oladapo said.

Since Javon Bullard went down with a foot injury and Johnathan Baldwin was released following a knee injury, Oladapo has taken the first-team snaps in the slot. That’s where he was on the interception, and that’s where he was on the sack against Pittsburgh.

“It’s fun,” he said. “You get to be in the box with the run fit, you get to guard receivers (and) you also get to blitz a lot, so I like it.”

Oladapo probably was going to make the roster, anyway, but playing in the slot has allowed him to show a different side to his game.

“Wishing the best for my guy and his recovery, but it’s the next-man-up mentality,” he said. “We’ve set the standard for the last couple years in the DB room. Next man up. Expectations are expectations. Just excited for the opportunity.”

To me, these were the five biggest questions entering Packers training camp.

Here's where things stand. ⬇️https://t.co/OMzOispSgk
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 16, 2026

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