Paul Bretl | 3/18/2025
GREEN BAY — Is there another shift coming to the Green Bay Packers’ offense this season? Given how free agency has played out, that could be telling us that’s the case.
We already saw a shift take place last season with the Packers’ greater reliance on the running game with Josh Jacobs in the backfield. And not only did we see the run game frequently be the catalyst for success on offense, but how the Packers ran the ball changed as well. Rather than being a heavy outside zone running team, which has been a staple of the offense under Matt LaFleur, we instead saw more shotgun runs and a gap scheme blocking because it fit Jacobs’ skill set well.
“I think coaching is, yeah, you have a philosophy of what you want to do and a foundation of what you want to do, but you’d better not be so stubborn that you just – this is what we’re going to do – if your pieces don’t necessarily match. I think that’s good coaching – putting your players in the best position possible,” LaFleur said after the season.
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The addition of Aaron Banks and the big money spent along the offensive line tells us that the Packers are going to continue leaning into the run game and on Jacobs. This, in turn, can help open up opportunities through the passing game by staying ahead of the sticks and in manageable down-and-distances, where the entire playbook is open to LaFleur, along with setting up play-action as well.
Banks has been at his best during his career as a run-blocker, and as steady as the Packers’ run game was last season with Jacobs, if there is an area of opportunity for that unit, it’s in generating more explosive running plays.
As the Packers search for more consistency in the passing game, the run game can continue to play a key role in fostering that needed element. However, there’s only so much a strong run game can provide and, ultimately, the pass-catchers are the ones who have to elevate the passing game.
As I detailed recently, addressing the receiver position via free agency or trade was never going to be a likely path for the Packers from a roster-building standpoint. Adding competition through the draft, which hopefully raises the level of urgency among the receiver room, and therefore the level of play, is how this unit is going to have to improve.
Now, of course, that is certainly not a foolproof plan when it comes to getting more consistent play in the passing game. Banking on internal development is what the Packers planned on taking place last season, but instead, we saw regression at the receiver position.
So this leads me back to where we started and what this year’s offensive shift could be for the Packers, which is seeing a lot more of Tucker Kraft in the passing game. Getting Kraft involved more is something that LaFleur already acknowledged needs to happen in 2025.
“100%,” said LaFleur on Tuesday when asked if Kraft can have a George Kittle or Travis Kelce-like impact in the Packers’ offense, “and I think that’s on us to make sure we find him and feature him because he is, I mean, when he gets the ball in his hands, you feel him. So, if there’s an area that we gotta do a better job on, I would say featuring the tight end.”
Kraft had 70 targets and 55 receptions this past season, so it’s not as if he was forgotten about in the passing game. He also led this Packers team in touchdowns as well. With that said, there were also nine games where he had three or fewer targets, and that’s a small role for such an impactful presence, especially one who LaFleur believes can have a Kittle or Kelce-like impact on this Packers team. Among all tight ends in 2024, Kraft ranked 17th in targets.
Featuring Kraft more within the offense isn’t only about giving him more targets, but that also includes moving him around the formation more to give the defense different looks and to help create mismatches pre-snap. It also means having him attack different levels of the field, rather than mostly being targeted around the line of scrimmage, along with being the first or second read for Jordan Love more often.
Two areas where the passing game has to improve this upcoming season are in generating more explosive plays and finding more consistency, which not only means fewer dropped passes but more refined route running and attention to detail. Both of which–big plays and consistency–are two elements Kraft has provided this offense.
“I talked about playing with violence and finishing and just being an (expletive)-hole out there,” said Kraft after the season. “I think you turn the film on, you’re gonna see ‘85’ all over the field, just doing that. I’m just gonna come back and bring it again in 2025. You guys are gonna see the same thing, same goals I want to set out. I want to be the best blocking tight end in the NFL while also being that guy. I want to be the guy in Year 3. I have goals and aspirations.”
Of note when it comes to getting Kraft more involved in the passing game, part of that equation is the Packers needing to have a reliable blocking presence at the tight end behind him on the depth chart to handle those responsibilities.
Naturally, this offseason, the focus has been on the receiver position and how the Packers get more out of that unit in 2025 after the passing game sputtered down the stretch last season. And without a doubt, improved play has to happen here. Unfortunately, that’s not a given either, particularly when relying on a so-so draft class at the receiver position to provide that competition and spark to help elevate the play of this group.
So when it comes to getting more out of the passing game this season, I don’t know that Plan A is the receivers taking a big step forward. Obviously, that’s the hope–but hope isn’t a plan either. I think, potentially, Plan A is a heavy dose of Jacobs and Kraft with the offense built around those two, and if the receivers make those needed strides, we will see this unit morph as the season progresses.