Green Bay Packers Face Injury Questions With Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft

The Green Bay Packers entered the offseason expecting health to impact the beginning of their 2026 season.

Two of their most important players remain at the center of that concern as training camp approaches.

Edge rusher Micah Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft are recovering from torn ACLs suffered during the second half of last season.

Bleacher Report included both among the NFL stars who could miss the start of the regular season.

The recoveries are on different tracks.

Parsons has acknowledged that he will miss games and is prioritizing a return for the stretch run.

Meanwhile, Kraft has maintained that he expects to play in Week 1 without a restricted workload.

Green Bay still faces a scenario in which its premier pass rusher and one of its leading offensive weapons are both unavailable early.

Parsons Prioritizing Playoffs Over Early Return

Parsons tore his ACL against Denver on Dec. 14 and underwent surgery two weeks later. His procedure also included a meniscus cleanup.

The four-time All-Pro said in June that the medical staff was following a nine-month rule before allowing him to return to football activity.

That timeline could put him back on the practice field in late September, but the Packers have made clear they will not accelerate the process to get him into early-season games.

“The goal isn’t for me to go out there and re-hurt myself trying to force myself to get back the first few games,” Parsons said. “The goal has always been playoffs, and I think we’re all on the same page.”

Bleacher Report cautiously identified a return in November or December as the best-case scenario and raised the possibility that Parsons could remain on injured reserve for the full season.

Parsons led Green Bay with 12.5 sacks in 14 games during his first year with the franchise. He earned another All-Pro selection and extended his Pro Bowl streak to five seasons before the knee injury ended his campaign.

The Packers were 9-3-1 when Parsons went down and did not win another game, including their wild-card loss. His absence removed the disruptive presence around which Green Bay had built its defense.

A delayed return was always expected.

The larger worry is whether Parsons will have enough time to regain his form and influence a postseason push.

Kraft Maintains Aggressive Week 1 Goal

Kraft suffered his torn ACL against Carolina on Nov. 2, giving him a six-week head start on Parsons in the rehabilitation process.

He sounded confident during minicamp, saying he expected to receive the conditioning work he needed during training camp and “meniscus cleanup.”

Packers.com reported that Kraft had reached 21.5 mph on a treadmill and was experiencing minimal swelling in the surgically repaired knee.

He expects to begin camp on the PUP list but believes his stay there will be brief.

Kraft had become the Packers’ leading receiver before his injury.

He caught 32 passes for 489 yards and six touchdowns in eight games, putting him on pace for the best statistical season by a tight end in franchise history.

His combination of blocking strength and yards-after-catch ability gave the offense an identity it struggled to replace during the second half of the year.

Kraft’s public timeline remains encouraging.

Parsons’ return requires substantially more patience.

In conjunction, their recoveries leave Green Bay waiting on two players capable of making Green Bay’s season a success.

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