Going into the tail end of this season, a few things will continue becoming clearer and clearer for the Green Bay Packers. As they keep positioning themselves for a playoff run, the Packers may not be able to help but also notice some trends that will surely lead to decisions made in the offseason.
One of those big decisions may end up coming within the tight end room. With Tucker Kraft having cemented himself as the clear-cut TE1, there are other spots that have seemingly come up for grabs after his injury this season.
Right after Kraft's injury, many thought it was Luke Musgrave's time to shine -- and they were been right to think that. But, recent weeks have shown that idea to have been completely wrong.
Luke Musgrave could be well on his way to a premature departure from the Packers
Just this past week against the Minnesota Vikings, snap counts told a very clear story for Musgrave. Against Minnesota, Musgrave wound up playing 25 offensive snaps for the Packers.
Meanwhile, former Tennessee Titan Josh Whyle played 27. Furthermore, third-year pro John FitzPatrick played a whopping 40 snaps for the Green Bay offense.
Those numbers are extremely telling, and it appears to be the way Matt LaFleur is leaning going forward. Musgrave played just the third-most snaps at the position last week, and because of his shortcomings, those snaps don't seem to be going up any time soon.
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Musgrave's biggest weakness is precisely where they need him most, right now, and that's in the blocking department. His receiving prowess has been underwhelming, too, as he has caught just one pass in each of the last two games -- for a total of six net yards.
Unfortunately, the writing seems to be on the wall for the 2023 second-round pick out of Oregon State. This being his third season shouldn't mean he's headed out the door for certain, with the 2026 season still on his Packers contract. But, with the way things are trending, Musgrave won't last long.
Green Bay very well could opt to stick with Whyle and Fitzpatrick as the second and third tight ends once Kraft is healthy, simply out of the necessity to have a blocker or two at the position.
Should Musgrave be cut before the final year of his rookie deal, Green Bay would only incur a dead cap hit of less than $800K and wind up saving nearly $2 million in the process.