Feeling Fast Again, Luke Musgrave Designated to Return from Injured Reserve

Sidelined for 2 1/2 months following ankle surgery, Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave is hoping he can contribute down the stretch.
Luke Musgrave is back at practice.
Luke Musgrave is back at practice. / Bill Huber/Packers On SI
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – For Green Bay Packers tight end Luke Musgrave, being designated to return from injured reserve on Wednesday was a milestone on his way back from ankle surgery.

Before that, it was a return to being fast.

“I think the best moments are when your body’s able to do what you know it can do,” Musgrave said after his first practice in two-and-a-half months. “I think like hitting a top speed – you’ve got to find little goals – so for me it was like hitting 20 miles an hour. That was a big goal for me.

“So, just those little goals, getting back and getting your body back.”

Musgrave played in the first four games, suffering the injury when his ankle turned inward and was fallen on early in the game against Minnesota.

He fought through the pain to play 25 snaps.

“Pain’s never really been a huge limiting factor for me,” he said. “We spatted it and it was all right, so I just kept on going. It felt odd, but I thought I was going to be fine.”

He didn’t practice before the Week 5 game at the Rams, was active for the game but didn’t play.

“The fact that he even suited up this last game was pretty impressive,” coach Matt LaFleur said at the time. “I don’t think we understood how serious it was.”

Musgrave had surgery the following week to repair a torn ligament.

“That was recommended,” he said. “We didn't know that it probably needed surgery until after the Rams week.”

Having not played in a game for about two-and-a-half months, the Packers no doubt will want to ease Musgrave back into action. He didn’t do anything strenuous during the portion of practice open to reporters, and it would seem unlikely that he’d be available at Seattle.

“You just take it one day at a time and add a little bit more, and then a little bit more, and we'll see where we're at,” coach Matt LaFleur said.

Still, this was a huge step toward being an end-of-season factor for the Packers.

“We’re just going to ease back into it, but I feel good,” Musgrave said. “Still getting the cutting back, but overall, it feels good.”

Knowing the team might have different ideas, what is his timeline to return to action?

“I think it's as soon as practical,” he said. “I don't know if there's a timeline, but as soon as possible that they'll let me go, I'll go.”

After catching 34 passes for 352 yards and one touchdown in 11 games as a rookie, a record-setting season sidetracked by a lacerated kidney, Musgrave caught just five passes for 22 yards in the first four games this season.

With field-stretching athleticism, he could add another formidable weapon for the end of the regular season and playoffs.

“I think it's that I can get out there and contribute in a positive way with the team, whether it's a limited role, wherever they see me,” he said. “Whenever that time comes, we'll be back.”

The Packers drafted Musgrave in the second round and Tucker Kraft in the third round in hopes of forming a dynamic duo. That hasn’t happened yet. Kraft barely played at the start of his rookie season. Then, Musgrave sustained the kidney injury against the Chargers last year, which opened the door for Kraft. Next, Musgrave’s ankle rolled the wrong way vs. the Vikings this year.

“I sure hope so,” Musgrave said of lining up with Kraft. “He’s obviously been playing great, as you guys can all see. So, it’s really exciting to hopefully come back, but also we’ve got a deep room of tight ends – Ben (Sims), Fitzy (John FitzPatrick) – so I’m just excited for the room as a whole. It’s going to be really cool.”

Kraft beat Musgrave out for the starting job during training camp and has cemented himself as the team’s primary tight end throughout the season.

“I don’t want to put any limitations on him or predict the future,” position coach John Dunn said of Musgrave recently. “Another guy that’s in the building that works his tail off daily. Hopefully, his body responds the right way. I know that he’s made of the right stuff mentally and he’s doing everything he possibly can to get back.

“Obviously, when there’s a little bit of a layoff, you’ve got to get back into playing the game. This sport, the more time away from actually playing, it takes a minute to get back into it. But his mentality’s right – it’s always been right. I love the room in that regard; they’re all that way. He’s built the right way and he’s working his tail off and doing everything he can to get back. Where that leads, we’ll have to see.”

Musgrave said the toughest part of being sidelined was missing practice, “because you really see what you’re missing out on.” Saying the injury is part of football rather than another dose of bad luck, Musgrave credited the team’s training staff for keeping him in a good place mentally.

“They keep it pretty light,” he said. “They’re fun to joke around with, so they do a great job. I can’t say enough about those guys just keeping it light and keeping it fun, going in there and getting our work done but also being able to have a light conversation.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.