Paul Bretl | 10/10/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Packers are going to be without tight end Luke Musgrave for some time, which means a larger role is in store for Ben Sims, alongside of Tucker Kraft.
“I feel like I have my strengths,” Sims said at his locker on Thursday. “I want to be physical in the run game, I want to do what I can when my numbers called and I want to give these coaches the trust in me and the ability to be able to call whatever they want on the call sheet when I’m in the game.”
Musgrave had been working through an ankle injury that kept him out of practice all week leading up to the Rams game. Musgrave was active for that contest but didn’t end up playing. After going through warmups on Wednesday, Musgrave worked off to the side with a trainer and was listed as limited. Now on Thursday, Matt LaFleur said that Musgrave landing on injured reserve is “more than likely.”
“Yeah, which speaks to his toughness and competitiveness,” said LaFleur when asked if the ankle injury was sidelining Musgrave. The fact that he even suited up this last game was pretty impressive. I don’t think we understood how serious it was, and so, he’s going to be down for a minute.”
Kraft will, of course, continue to be a big factor at tight end and within the Packers’ offense, but Sims will now shoulder a much more hefty workload. This increased playing time began this past Sunday when he played 19 snaps after playing a total of 11 in the first four games. Sims didn’t have any targets, and was utilized as a run-blocker on the majority of those plays.
“I thought last week he handled himself the way we would expect him to,” LaFleur said. “And I think he’s done a nice job and I think he and Luke are different players, but I think Ben does a good job in his role.”
Sims was a late addition to the Packers roster in 2023. An undrafted rookie out of Baylor, he spent that training camp and the preseason with Minnesota before being released during roster cuts, at which time the Packers claimed him on waivers.
As the fourth tight end behind Kraft, Musgrave, and Josiah Deguara at that time, Sims played 212 snaps on offense as a rookie and 105 on special teams. Used primarily as a blocker, Sims had just six targets in the passing game, catching five of those passes for 25 yards with a score.
With Sims joining the Packers last season so late in the process, there was a lot of learning on the fly and he learned the playbook more so on a week-by-week basis depending on what the game-plan was. So now having a year in the system under his belt, including a full offseason and training camp to continue familiarizing himself with the playbook, it’s a night and day difference for Sims this season.
“I will say last year was a very week to week basis,” said Sims of the playbook. “All the game plans were words, and terminology and concepts that I’ve never really been familiar with, especially being a rookie. And then now this year it’s like I feel like I have a good understanding of what’s being thrown at us.
“I used to call it drinking water out of a fire hose and I feel like I’m not really doing that. Very confident going into these game weeks as far as knowing the plan because it’s things we’ve been doing for so long. So feeling really good about that.”
Being the No. 2 tight end option in the regular season is a different animal, but as Kraft worked his way back from a pec injury during the offseason and the first part of training camp, it’s a role that Sims did fill at that time as well. And with that came additional opportunities that helped Sims’ confidence grow–both in his understanding of the offense and in his ability to execute his assignment.
“I fee like since the first day of training camp with Tucker being out most of camp, it gave me a lot of opportunities to step up during camp and in the preseason,” Sims said. “At that point it was me and Musgrave, it’s just kind of inverted right now. We’re going to miss Luke for a little bit, but it’ll be same thing with me and Tuck running it. So I feel confident. I think there’s always a level of confidence that you should carry with yourself and I feel like I’ll be ready to go.”
Although primarily used as a blocking option during his regular season experience, during several practices over the summer, Sims flashed his ability to make an impact in the passing game, specifically as a big target up the seam. For what it’s worth, Sims did run a 4.58-second 40-yard dash during the pre-draft process.
So an increase in Sims’ role doesn’t only mean more snaps. He’s going to be tasked with doing more within the offense as well, whether that be being sent in motion or running routes with the opportunity to get the ball in the passing game. The LaFleur offense uses a heavy-dose of two tight end sets–that won’t be going anywhere.
“Oh,100%,” said LaFleur when asked if Sims can be more than a blocker. “Matter of fact, two days ago, or yesterday at practice he had a nice play. So I think he’s a versatile guy who can give us whatever we need.”
Kraft is still going to be what makes things go at the tight end position for the Packers. However, at a physical position where depth is important–especially in this offense–Sims’ ability to step in and make an impact will be important. Sims is confident he can do just that, and so are his teammates.
“We trade in and out of so many different personnel packages, it’s just like the next-man-up mentality,” said Kraft. “It’s so unfortunate to see one of your brothers in your room go down. Breaks my heart that he has to go through injury, but the next guy’s always ready. In the NFL, the next guy’s always just chomping at the bit, trying to get a shot. I believe in Ben. He will be ready.”