Pro Football Rumors
Packers tight end Tucker Kraft said on Wednesday that he is “doing better than expected” working his way back from a torn ACL suffered last November.
Kraft, 25, attributed the progress to the first three months of his rehab and listed several positive markers in his recovery.
“I feel great, my quad looks great,” Kraft said (via USA Today’s Ryan Wood). “Swelling is minimal to none. No weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my training.”
The fourth-year tight end is still expecting to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list with the goal of being healthy enough to “hit the ground running” when he does return to the field. Kraft anticipates getting enough conditioning in camp to start Week 1 without a snap limit
The 6-foot-5, 259-pounder is now seven months removed from knee surgery. The nine-month mark – a common standard for ACL recoveries that is currently being used by Kraft’s teammate Micah Parsons – will be roughly midway through training camp, one month before the regular season opener. The timeline is there, but there is still time for setbacks – or a switch to an even more cautious path in camp.
“There’s a lot of things that really need to happen prior to me playing in the season,” Kraft acknowledged.
A full recovery might be the final step to a long-term deal between the Packers and their star tight end. Kraft has been mentioned as an extension candidate this offseason in a tight end market that is expected to rise within the next year. He gave a cryptic response when asked about contract talks, per Wood, indicating an agreement might be in the works. Kraft has not been the focal point of Green Bay’s offense the way Trey McBride is in Arizona, but he still has an argument to match or exceed Kyle Pitts‘ $15MM AAV on a multi-year contract.
