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SportsMoney The Good, Bad And Ugly From The Packers’ 12th Training Camp Practice By Rob Reischel ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Rob Reischel is a Wisconsin-based reporter who covers the NFL. Follow Author Aug 16, 2026, 02:22pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The Green Bay Packers held their 12th training camp practice, a 2-hour, 10-minute session. Star tight end Tucker Kraft made a significant return to 11-on-11 drills, 9.5 months after an ACL tear, catching multiple passes including a touchdown. Rookie kicker Trey Smack continued his strong camp, going 4-for-4 in practice. Position battles are heating up at guard and cornerback, with Jager Burton and Jacob Monk vying for starting spots, and Keisean Nixon competing with Benjamin St-Juste. However, quarterbacks Jordan Love and Tyrod Taylor had a rough day, combining for three interceptions. Several players remain sidelined with injuries, including Lukas Van Ness and Josh Jacobs, while Aaron Banks returned. The team also saw a couple of scuffles break out during the intense practice.
The Green Bay Packers held their 12th practice of training camp Sunday on a sticky, 85-degree day. The practice lasted 2 hours, 10 minutes, just the second one of camp to exceed two hours.
The Packers are off Monday, have an open practice Tuesday at 10:30 a.m., and a closed practice Wednesday. Green Bay is then at Denver Friday at 8 p.m. (CST) for preseason game No. 2.
Here’s the good, bad and ugly from practice No. 12.
KRAFT RETURNS: Just 9 ½ months — 287 days to be exact — after tearing his right ACL against Carolina, Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft took part on 11-on-11 drills at practice.
“I think you could be in for a treat today,” Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur said before practice.
Kraft’s first catch in team drills came when he beat Edgerrin Cooper on a stop route for about 8 yards, and the crowd went wild. Later Kraft caught out routes for 12 and nine yards, then he hauled in a 12-yard touchdown grab after winning on a slant route.
“Certainly, the impact that he has on our football team, not only as a player but as a leader, is very important to us,” Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst recently said of Kraft.
Kraft was in the middle of an All-Pro season in 2025 when he tore his right ACL against Carolina on Nov. 2.
Kraft had been doing only individual drills in practice the first 2 ½ weeks of training camp, but when asked recently if he had any hesitations to going full bore, he said, “absolutely not.”
“Gute and I have talked about how he’s essentially protecting me from myself because I’m all gas,” Kraft said of general manager Brian Gutekunst. “Like a tricycle, I don’t come with brakes. It’s really just helping me establish that mindset of consistency through a slow ramp-up and that’s it.”
Kraft started all eight of the games he played in 2025 and posted 32 receptions, 489 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He was the only tight end in the league with 30-plus receptions, 475-plus receiving yards, six-plus receiving touchdowns and an average of 15-plus yards per catch through Week 9. He also became just the fifth tight end since the 1970 merger to hit those marks in the first eight games of a season, joining Kellen Winslow (1980), Antonio Gates (2010), Jimmy Graham (2013) and Rob Gronkowski (2015).
After Kraft went down, though, the offense wasn’t close to the same. Green Bay averaged 27.6 points the first seven games when Kraft went the distance. The Packers then averaged 19.8 points per game the final 10 games after Kraft was injured.
A recent ESPN poll that surveyed NFL executives, coaches and scouts ranked Kraft as the No. 6 tight end in football. That might not be high enough.
After Week 9 last season, Kraft led all NFL tight ends in yards per reception, yards after the catch (344), yards after the catch per game (43.0), yards after the catch per reception (10.8 avg.), was tied for No. 1 in explosive receptions (12) and ranked No. 2 in explosive-reception percentage (37.5) through Week 9.
Kraft ranked No. 3 in the NFL among tight ends in receiving yards and No. 2 in receiving yards per game (61.1) through Week 9. He was also tied for No. 2 among tight ends in receiving touchdowns and posted a touchdown reception in five games, which tied for the NFL lead among tight ends through Week 9.
Kraft joined Paul Coffman (1983) as the only Green Bay tight ends since the 1970 merger to have two games in a season with 120-plus receiving yards. And his passer rating of 148.6 when targeted ranked No. 2 in the NFL at the time of his injury.
“He’s in a great spot,” Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love recently said of Kraft. “He’s been working all offseason to get to where he’s at now.”
LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL: Three days after shining in the Packers’ preseason opener, rookie kicker Trey Smack went 4-for-4. Smack connected from 43, 38, 33 and 28 yards during somewhat windy conditions.
In Green Bay’s 28-9 loss to Pittsburgh in its preseason opener, Smack went 3-for-3 making kicks from 58, 38 and 37 yards. Smack also made another 58-yarder that the Packers took off the board following a Pittsburgh penalty.
Smack is now 27-for-35 on all kicks, and his success rate of 77.5% is his highest of the summer.
“I mean there's no question he's got the talent,” LaFleur said of Smack. “And it's just I think in particular the kicking position, it's the consistency at which you do it.”
POSITION BATTLES: Green Bay has yet to decide on its starting guards or cornerbacks for its Week 1 game at Minnesota.
On Sunday, rookie Jager Burton was at left guard with the No. 1 offense and Jacob Monk was at right guard. Green Bay gave Aaron Banks a four-year, $77 million deal in March, 2025, but LaFleur said Friday that Banks — who’s battled a knee injury throughout camp — wasn't a sure bet to win a starting j...
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