A former Green Bay Packers tight end once had a slogan: “Year of the Takeover,” abbreviated to YOTTO. Jermichael Finley was a productive, playmaking tight end during his brief career, to be sure, but the promised takeover never quite arrived, with his 2011 season being his high-water mark (55 catches, 767 yards, 8 TDs).
That year came in the context of the entire Packers offense being exceptional, as each of those numbers ranked him third among the Packers’ wealth of receiving options.
Although Tucker
Kraft hasn’t eclipsed any of Finley’s 2011 numbers in a single season yet, he was well on pace to shattering them in 2025 prior to his ACL tear. His stat line over 8 games (32 catches, 489 yards, 6 TDs) put him on track for more than 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. But most importantly, he was the Packers’ go-to receiving weapon over that span, leading the team with 4.0 receptions per game. Kraft had the takeover season last year — or at least he was headed for that before his knee fell apart.
Now, with the tight end on the verge of returning during training camp and likely to get a contract extension before or during the 2026 season, it’s up to him to continue the trajectory he set for himself, though now he’ll be able to play off a healthy Christian Watson after the two played less than 90 minutes of football together in 2025. Let’s look at how Kraft became a focal point in the offense last season as we look ahead to how the offense will work in 2026.
How Tucker Kraft became star of Packers offense in 2025 | Packers Wire
Comparing Kraft’s numbers from 2024 to 2025 shows that his target rate increased massively and he came in second in the NFL in yards per route run.
Ranking WR, TE, RB groups for 2026: Best and worst NFL teams | ESPN
If Kraft and Watson can both stay healthy, they should boost the Packers’ 17th-place ranking on this list.
Youth movement set to power Packers’ offensive line | Packers.com
Meanwhile, the team is set to hand over the left tackle job to a third-year pro while a player in his second season is likely to also benefit from a changing of the guard.
Four things to watch, including MarShawn Lloyd, when Packers start camp | Packersnews.com
A healthy Lloyd should be fun to watch as well, if his offseason work can actually deliver him a healthy season.
Ohio Police Retire “Robocop” After It Heroically Made Zero Arrests and Issued Zero Tickets in Nearly 10 Months | On Tap Sports Net
I have parked in this garage on multiple occasions and I never even saw the robot cop. Maybe every time I visited it was out on a donut run.
