By overcoming injuries and playing physically, Packers TE Tucker Kraft is channeling his inner Mark Bavaro

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft suffered a shoulder injury in last week’s win over the Tennessee Titans. At this point, Green Bay had a two-point lead late in the third quarter and probably could have tied the game without Kraft. However, the second-year tight end felt like he could keep playing, so he did.

“It wasn’t even a question in my head,” Kraft said. “I want to be on the field.”

After a brief exit, Kraft returned to the game and even made a tackle on punt coverage a few plays later. This came after he had already done extensive work as a run blocker.

That’s the kind of dirty work you expect from the tight end in Green Bay. If you’re not catching passes, you’re getting your hands dirty as a blocker or on special teams.

Tight end can be one of the most challenging positions in the game. After you catch a pass, you will be attacked like a receiver. If you are asked to block, you will be expected to do so against defensive linemen who may be more than 30 pounds heavier than you. With all the physicality, injuries naturally occur.

Kraft accepts the challenge and uses it as motivation. After practice on Thursday, Kraft revealed that he has new inspiration for who he wants to model his game after.

“Last night I looked up Mark Bavaro on YouTube, so that’s just the mindset I’m going to have from now on. I’ll be tough; I’ll play things through. Everyone does it,” Kraft said.

Bavaro played nine seasons in the NFL (1985–94) and was considered one of the toughest players in the league due to his playing style and ability to overcome injuries. Bavaro’s head coach at Notre Dame, Gerry Faust, even said, “He plays better in pain than any player I’ve seen in my 37 years of coaching.”

Kraft, who was born in 2000, had obviously never seen Bavaro play live. However, after hearing about Bavaro from people around him, including Packers special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, he decided to give him a try.

“A lot of people told me to look for him, especially coach Rich Bisaccia. He said you have to look at this guy, so I did and I was amazed,” he said.

While watching Bavaro, Kraft gained respect for his physicality in both the run game and his ability to gain yards after the catch.

“Just being physical, being tough, YAC — that’s really all this guy was worried about. He set a precedent in the running game, so I’m just trying to channel my inner Bavaro,” Kraft said with a grin.

In the first three games, Kraft did a pretty good job of emulating the retired tight end. At the start of the season, one of his goals was to be one of the run-blocking tight ends in the outside zone. He’s off to a pretty good start and is a key player in the league’s No. 1 rushing offense. Kraft also caught six passes for 76 yards. In Bavaro fashion, 66 of those yards came after the catch, which ranks sixth among tight ends in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

There’s nothing wrong with idolizing players who are known for their toughness, but you also have to be smart about injuries. Green Bay’s medical staff tends to err on the side of caution when it comes to a player’s health, but they will clear someone if they are confident they can protect themselves.

This week, Kraft wore a red non-contact jersey in practice to keep him healthy for the highly anticipated matchup against the Minnesota Vikings (3-0). Knowing the skills he brings to the offense, the Packers won’t risk any long-term injuries to Kraft. Still, they can appreciate his courage and tenacity.