GREEN BAY — Although it might seem like a football lifetime ago, it really wasn’t.

It was just the summer of 2023, and rookie tight end Luke Musgrave was the talk of Green Bay Packers training camp. The 6-foot-6, 253-pound second-round draft pick was making plays left and right in practice, and at one point he was clocked as the fastest offensive player on the team — at roughly 21 miles per hour, faster than any wide receiver or running back — prompting head coach Matt LaFleur to gush on NFL Network about how Musgrave had “a lot of potential in that body” and admit to “teasing the receivers” about how Musgrave “was the fastest guy on the offense.”

The problem is that, because of a horrible run of bad luck injury-wise since then, Musgrave’s appeal remains more about potential than productivity.

Although he tied the franchise record in 2023 for receptions by a rookie tight end (34), that season was derailed by a lacerated kidney suffered in November that forced him to miss six games. While he did have a 38-yard touchdown catch in the Packers’ first-round NFC playoff win at Dallas, the year was over before he could hit his stride again after fellow tight end Tucker Kraft exploded onto the scene during his absence.

Then came last year, when even while Kraft missed much of camp while working his way back from a torn pectoral muscle suffered in the offseason, Musgrave had a quiet summer. When the season began, Musgrave caught just five passes for 22 yards on seven targets through the first five games before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury that required surgery.

He returned for the final three regular-season games and the season-ending playoff loss at Philadelphia, catching two passes for 23 yards in those four games.

“That’s obviously the worst part of football,” Musgrave confessed in late December when asked about all the time he’d missed. “Like unfortunately I said last year, obviously injuries are part of the game. The best moments are when your body’s able to do what you know it can do, like hitting a top speed.”

But now, after a healthy offseason, LaFleur is getting his hopes up that the 1-2 tight-end punch of Kraft and Musgrave could add a challenging offensive wrinkle to challenge defenses.

“Musgrave, he’s another guy that I’m excited about. The whole key is we have to keep him on the field and keep him healthy,” LaFleur said. “Unfortunately, he’s had a couple, I would say, ‘freak’ plays. And that’s limited his ability.

“I thought, especially his first year, he was starting to kind of come on a little bit. And [the kidney injury] opened the door for Tuck and Tuck’s done an outstanding job with that. I just think both of those guys are unique in their own ways, and they both bring a little something different. But I’m really excited about both those players in our system.”

That could lead to the Packers running more “12” personnel (one back, two tight ends, two wide receivers) this season, something both offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich and tight ends coach John Dunn mentioned during organized team activity practices.

Of course, that hinges on Musgrave staying healthy, which hasn’t happened since his 2021 college season at Oregon State, as a knee injury limited him to just two games in his final season with the Beavers, too.

“The one thing about Luke [is], he’s been working his tail off and he’s been doing a great job getting back,” Dunn said. “Every year’s a new year. He’s had a couple setbacks through no fault of his own, but it’ll be fun to see. The more he CAN do, the more we WILL do. So I think it’ll be fun having those guys out there together.”

About our “Most Important Packers of 2025” Series: When the Packers kick off their seventh training camp under head coach Matt LaFleur on July 23, they’ll do so with a host of players facing pivotal seasons. LaFleur clearly believes he has ample talent to be a Super Bowl contender — even if he didn’t want to say so as the offseason program came to a close — but turning that belief into reality will require many of those players to produce at higher levels than they have in the past. This series, which began in 2010 on ESPNWisconsin.com, examines each of those players and how the team’s success hinges on their contributions. The list is compiled with input from team observers, former players and NFL sources.

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