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GREEN BAY, Wis. — Tucker Kraft, who had emerged as one of the best tight ends in the NFL last year before a torn ACL in his right knee ended his season in early November, believes he not only will be back for the Green Bay Packers season opener but will do so without limitations.
And that's even if he starts training camp on the physically unable to perform list, which is likely.
"With how I feel, I would say I'm gonna get all the conditioning I need in camp to start Week 1 on no pitch count," Kraft said Wednesday during Packers minicamp.
Kraft said he's so optimistic because of how well his rehab has gone.
"I'm doing better than expected," he said "I would really attribute it to the time and the commitment I put into my rehabilitation early on the first three months. That really has catapulted me to where I am now. I feel great. My quad looks great. Swelling is minimal to none. No like weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my trainings, so we're really excited to get this ball rolling and we're gonna take off."
At the time of his injury, Kraft had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns. To that point, he was the only tight end in the NFL with 30-plus receptions, 475-plus receiving yards, six-plus receiving TDs and an average of 15-plus yards per catch through Week 9.
"I thought that at a combination of the do-it-all 'Y', which is [Kraft's position], that there wasn't another guy in the league that was doing it as well as I was," Kraft said. "Some people might think I'm delusional to say that, but … the film is going to speak for itself. Outside zone, inside zone, screen game, down the field, as far as putting it all together I felt like I was at a great spot."
He tore his ACL on Nov. 2 against the Carolina Panthers. He said he recently hit 21.5 miles per hour running, which was a milestone marker for him.
"This Saturday I'll be seven months post-surgery and it's just that same grind," Kraft said. "Every single day I come in here, I try to get better, I try to get more healthy, so I wouldn't necessarily say I'm tracking my rehab based off of speed alone. But managing to hit that number where I am in my rehab right now is just a testament to the work that the staff and I have put in."
Kraft's injury occurred six weeks before Parsons tore his ACL, and Parsons said recently that he does not expect to be ready for the start of the season. Parsons, however, also tore his meniscus, while Kraft's injury was only to his ACL. The Packers typically don't let players return to practice until nine months after their surgery.
Kraft, a third-round pick in 2023, is entering the final season of his rookie contract and said he thinks he and the team will agree on an extension soon.
"I'd say my goal is I wanna play for this organization my entire career," Kraft said. "I'm spoiled to have been drafted here and this is all I know. Green and gold is all I know, so we'd like to keep it that way and my agent and the Packers' front office, they're gonna be in those talks in time when it comes."
