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Matt LaFleur: Tucker Kraft could participate in joint practice with Cardinals

Tucker Kraft of the Packers could participate in joint practices with the Cardinals after riding a bike to practice for the first time since tearing his ACL.

First seen Aug 02, 2026 · 5:00 PM UTC · last updated Aug 02 6:01 PM

Scoring Zone's Take

Tucker Kraft is progressing in his recovery from a torn ACL, and the news here is cautiously encouraging rather than alarming. He's now riding a bike to practice for the first time since the injury and could be cleared to join joint practices against the Cardinals around August 26. That's a real step forward, but it's still a "could participate" situation, not a confirmed return to full team drills — so treat this as a positive trend line, not a green light.

For draft prep purposes, Kraft remains a name to monitor closely rather than a player you can pencil in with confidence right now. An ACL recovery that's only reached the biking-to-practice stage this late in August suggests he may not be full-speed for Week 1, and tight ends who are eased back in during camp often see a gradual snap-count ramp-up once the season starts. Given the uncertainty around his practice status and conditioning, he should be valued more as a mid-to-late round upside pick or a stash candidate rather than a locked-in starter, especially in redraft formats where TE depth matters early.

Keep him rostered if you already have him, and feel comfortable taking a flier late given his talent and target volume when healthy, but build in a contingency at tight end in case his ramp-up slips into the regular season. Watch for confirmation of full practice participation over the next couple of weeks — that will tell you far more about Week 1 viability than this bike-riding milestone does. Confidence in this specific update is moderate; the trajectory is good, but the timeline to full health remains unconfirmed.

Tucker Kraft could participate in August 26 joint practice with Cardinals

by Ari Koslow | Packers Correspondent |

Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Tucker Kraft could participate in the team's joint practice with the Cardinals on August 26. (Pro Football Talk on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

“I mean, he’s got to hit all the benchmarks along the way, and if that’s the case, then absolutely,” LaFleur told reporters on Sunday. Kraft returned to practice on Friday for the first time since suffering a torn ACL last November. The goal remains for him to be ready to go for Week 1.

Category: Injury Updates | More Tucker Kraft: News, Rankings, Projections, Stats

Coverage from Fantasypros News Html · by Ari Koslow · Aug 02, 2026 · read original