The Green Bay Packers officially waived tight ends Luke Lachey and RJ Maryland on Tuesday with injury designations, a grim reminder of the absolute tight end nightmare unfolding at their training camp. Seriously, this position group is cursed. Lachey had to finish Monday’s practice on a scooter, rocking a boot, and Maryland hurt his hamstring even before practice started. Neither guy was even seen at Tuesday’s session. These moves came right after the team signed McCallan Castles and Drew Biber, which tells you everything you need to know about how desperate things are getting.
The Tight End Room Is a War Zone
While the Packers have mostly dodged major injuries elsewhere in training camp, the tight end room is basically a MASH unit. Tucker Kraft is out with an ACL, and Luke Musgrave has a neck injury, keeping him off the field and still stuck on the PUP list, not practicing at all. And it gets worse. Remember Eni Falayi, the undrafted free agent tight end signed alongside Maryland? Yeah, he failed his physical just showing up to camp. Maryland himself only got $15,000 guaranteed, while Falayi was looking at $125,000 if he’d just passed his physical. Lachey, get this, also failed an earlier physical this offseason for an unrelated hamstring issue, only getting re-signed once he healed up. If you’re counting, that’s a mind-boggling six injuries or failed physicals involving just five Green Bay tight ends. That’s not “less than great,” it’s a full-blown crisis.
Who Even Is Playing Tight End Anymore?
To try and patch up the gaping hole at tight end, the Packers have been scrambling. Over the last week, they signed three players: Castles, Biber, and international exemption Thomas Yassmin. They even worked out six guys at the position just last week to find bodies. So who’s actually healthy enough to practice in team drills right now? We’ve got Josh Whyle, who was a 2025 practice squad call-up, Drake Dabney, another 2025 practice squadder signed in Week 10 last year, and Messiah Swinson, yet another 2025 practice squad guy signed in the postseason. Then there are the three new additions: McCallan Castles, Drew Biber, and Thomas Yassmin. Castles, who the Packers let go pre-draft, immediately jumped into the second-team offense on Tuesday. It’s wild.
If the starters play any preseason snaps, get ready to see some names you probably don’t know playing premium tight end snaps for the first-team offense. The Packers need all the help they can possibly get at this position, and quickly. Otherwise, this injury bug could spell trouble for their offensive flow right from the jump.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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