To call it a make-or-break third season for Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave isn't hyperbolic. If anything, it's an understatement.
Musgrave has battled injuries in his first two seasons with the Packers while failing to make a significant impact while healthy. Tucker Kraft, selected a round later than Musgrave, has become the difference-making tight end Green Bay's offense desperately needed.
However, after a quiet start to training camp, Musgrave is beginning to show signs of life. He faces an uphill battle to earn significant targets in a deep receiving group, but he is finally putting it together on the practice field.
Luke Musgrave is showing why he can still become a key piece in Packers' ascending passing offense
Staying healthy is the number one goal for Musgrave, who has missed 16 games over the past two seasons. Kraft's quick rise makes it easy to forget that it can take time for tight ends to reach their potential in the NFL. Hopefully, Musgrave is reaching that point in Year 3.
"Musgrave made two big-time plays. First, on third-and-7, the defense blitzed Jordan Love, who connected with Musgrave at the sideline against tight coverage by Xavier McKinney and Carrington Valentine," writes Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, who named Musgrave the player of the day after Thursday's practice.
"A moment later, on third-and-3, Musgrave made another downfield catch, this time scooping one from his ankles," Huber added.
It's exactly what the Packers want to see from Musgrave. He isn't just making sporadic plays on the practice field, but beginning to put it together consistently. That's the key.
READ MORE: Forgotten Packers WR is soaring toward Davante Adams-level breakout
After catching only seven passes for 45 yards in seven games last season, it's easy to overlook Musgrave's potential as a second-round pick. He has rare speed and athleticism for the position.
Kraft is a game-changer who uses his strength and yards-after-catch ability to punish defenses. But Musgrave offers something different. He has the vertical speed to stretch teams deep, paired with the athleticism to make tough catches look easy. We've seen flashes of Musgrave's sky-high potential, but nowhere near enough to this point.
The number one priority? Stay healthy. That's not always in a player's control as injuries happen, but Musgrave is doing everything he can, including taking Pilates lessons. So far, so good.
We're now seeing that potential show up in practice, an encouraging sign ahead of a make-or-break season for the third-year tight end.