Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was in the middle of a breakout season when he suffered a torn ACL during the club’s Week 9 loss to the Panthers.
He had just caught seven passes for 143 yards with a pair of touchdowns in the team’s Week 8 win over Pittsburgh, setting career-highs in the first two categories.
But then Kraft’s injury struck, prematurely ending his third season.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kraft said he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to play by the start of the regular season in September.
“Hopefully bulletproof by then,” Kraft said, via Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “So I already feel pretty good. My progress so far has been great. Some would say even ahead of schedule. So not trying to blow anything out of proportion. I’m only not even 10 weeks in yet, but it’s feeling good so far.”
Kraft had been displaying how good he could be throughout the season and wants that to continue when he’s back on the field next fall.
“I was able to prove time and time again what I could do with three catches, four catches, five catches,” Kraft said, “showing like in that Pittsburgh game, I had 140-something yards, with like 90 percent of that coming from the yards after the catch.
“So now, coming off my injury, putting myself in position to get better at things like I was – I was really feeling my man separation coming along – getting the same reps and not making the same mistakes, but continuing to improve upon each opportunity. So that moving forward, I do feel like as a tight end, I am the full package, and that I can be anything for this team, just put the ball in my hands.”
