The Green Bay Packers picked up their second loss of the season, losing to the Carolina Panthers 16-13 on Sunday. While it was an ugly game, the result was ultimately the least of their worries.
Tucker Kraft suffered what's believed to be a severe knee injury. Immediately after the game, head coach Matt LaFleur said things didn't look good, and NFL insider Ian Rapoport later confirmed that the fear is a torn ACL.
That means Kraft is sidelined for the rest of the year, and the Packers must navigate the remainder of the season without their leader in receiving yards. While there isn't really a silver lining to such a key player sustaining a brutal injury, the injury happening days before the November 4 trade deadline gives Green Bay time to adjust its plans.
While losing Kraft could mean the Packers may add a tight end, it definitely means they won't be sending Luke Musgrave anywhere. On Saturday, Easton Butler of Packer Report reported that the Packers had received trade interest in Musgrave. Kraft's injury likely ends any possibility of a deal.
Luke Musgrave will almost certainly remain with Packers through trade deadline after Tucker Kraft injury
With Kraft's emergence and Musgrave's limited use, he made sense as a trade target for tight end-needy teams. Since the Packers had Kraft, it wouldn't have hurt them to move on. Now, Kraft's injury all but guarantees Musgrave will still be with the Packers on Wednesday.
The tight end, who was actually selected in the same draft as Kraft, one round earlier by the Packers, will be thrust into a bigger role for Green Bay.
Entering Sunday's game, he had just six receptions for 54 yards on seven targets. However, he was only playing 30 percent of the team's offensive snaps. He finished Sunday's game with three receptions for 34 yards, getting a glimpse at the larger role he will have moving forward.
The Packers could still make a move at tight end, either by trade or in free agency, to build depth. Whatever ultimately happens, Musgrave will have to step up for Green Bay.