With star Tucker Kraft and backup Luke Musgrave sidelined, roster longshots Drew Biber and McCallan Castles battle for snaps and a chance to survive final roster cuts with the Green Bay Packers.
The Green Bay Packers have welcomed some new faces to training camp over the past few days. Notably, there are some fresh bodies in the tight end room.
Are these players worth deep diving on for the average fan? Sadly, probably not for them. Everything will start and end with Tucker Kraft at tight end this season, and if Luke Musgrave ever gets healthy, he's going to slot in at TE2 or at least battle it out for snaps with Josh Whyle.
The Packers also have practice squad players at tight end in Messiah Swinson and Drake Dabney running around at camp right now, but they went ahead and signed two more names just to keep things fresh. Also, Luke Lachey (foot) and R.J. Maryland (hamstring), who were both waived due to injury.
Competition, especially in training camp, can allow the cream to rise to the top, so it will be interesting to see what Drew Biber and McCallan Castles bring to the table for the Packers over this next stretch of time.
Again, the chances of either player catching a pass, let alone playing a snap, for the Packers in 2026 are slim. That would also entail the worst-case scenario of Kraft getting injured again, or for Musgrave, something flaring up with the neck issue he's working with.
Kraft expects to play in Week 1 of the 2026 season, but for now, as he works his way back from a torn ACL, he's only doing individual drills. Musgrave is out indefinitely.
What that means is Whyle is the current TE1 in 11-on-11s and Biber and Castles could find an opportunity to make a name for themselves.
So who are these two tight ends?
Biber is a rookie undrafted free agent who played in 2025 for the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Checking in at 6-foot-3, 247 pounds, he caught 18 passes for 186 yards, which were both career highs. For three years before that, he played for the Purdue Boilermakers.
Dec 26, 2025; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers tight end Drew Biber (87) against the New Mexico Lobos during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images.Biber worked out last Monday for the Packers but didn't earn a contract. With the injuries to Lachey and Maryland, the Packers gave him a call and told him to head back to Green Bay.
Per Wes Hodkiewicz of the team website, Biber's family was shocked.
"It was kind of funny. I'm like, 'No, this is not a prank. I have to drive up to Green Bay right now," Biber said. "It's just amazing."
Castles is a 6-foot-4, 244 pounds and he was an undrafted free agent in 2024. He bounced around practice squads and even tried to make things work in the UFL, but he's never been able to get his footing under him. He was on the Packers' practice squad last season, but was released in April.
He's now back with the team and looking to catch on.
Castles' college career saw him play at Cal, UC Davis and Tennessee. He was an All-Big Sky player at UC Davis, catching 39 passes for 571 yards and 7 touchdowns over two seasons.
