Kraft cleared for Week 1 after ACL tear; was TE1 before injury with elite YAC metrics.

Kraft expects to be full go for Week 1 after tearing his ACL in Week 9 last season, stating he's doing 'better than expected' physically and recently clocked 21.5 mph while sprinting. He anticipates starting training camp on the physically unable to perform list but head coach Matt LaFleur left open the possibility for him to be on the field for the first training camp practice in late July. Kraft said: 'With how I feel, I would say I'm gonna get all the conditioning I need in camp to start Week 1 on no pitch count.' He also reported: 'I feel great. My quad looks great. Swelling is minimal to none. No weird pains and aches coming out of my treatment and my trainings.' Before his injury, Kraft ranked third among tight ends in receiving yards (469 yards; Tyler Warren had 492, Travis Kelce had 474), tied for second in touchdown catches (six; Dallas Goedert had seven), and first in yards after catch per reception (11.2; second place was 7.9) through Week 8. Kraft believes he was the NFL's best tight end at the time of his injury and expects to return to that form immediately, stating: 'That's what Week 1 is all about. I'm not really buying into the people come back off an injury and aren't the same.' He is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is likely to sign a contract extension with the Packers in the near future, potentially becoming the highest-paid tight end in the NFL this summer.