The Green Bay Packers are bringing McCallan Castles back into the fold, and honestly, you have to wonder what is going on with their tight end room. It is absolutely slammed with injuries right now, so much so that they needed to re-sign Castles, a player they waived just a few months ago, according to Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber.
What Even Happened To Their Tight Ends?
Seriously, the injury report reads like a nightmare. Beyond Tucker Kraft, who is still ramping back up in practice after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in 2025, the Packers were also down Luke Musgrave with a neck issue and R.J. Maryland battling a hamstring injury going into practice this Monday. And if that wasn’t enough, The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman noticed Luke Lachey, who they signed in mid-June but failed his physical due to a hamstring problem, was spotted in a boot and on a scooter post-practice. That left Green Bay with only Josh Whyle, Drake Dabney, Messiah Swinson, and Thomas Yassmin as healthy tight ends. What a mess! Yassmin, who is from Australia, is an international exemption player, so he does not even count against the team’s 90-man roster. It is pure desperation, but what else can they do?
Castles’ Wild Ride Back to Green Bay
McCallan Castles has been on quite the journey with this team. Green Bay first signed him last November after a string of injuries forced Whyle up from the practice squad. Then, on January 1st, Castles landed on the practice squad injury list, which is essentially the practice squad’s version of injured reserve. After the season, he signed a reserve/futures deal, only to be waived by the team before the 2026 draft. And now, after working out with the Packers just last week alongside six other tight ends, including Yassmin, he is back.
Castles, a tight end prospect from the 2024 draft class, went undrafted that year, but he put up an 8.59 RAS score out of a possible 10.00, which ranked him 170th out of 1199 tight ends from 1987 to 2024. That is pretty solid. He started his college career at Cal with one reception for 15 yards over two seasons before hitting the FCS level at UC-Davis, where he posted 69 receptions for 928 yards and nine touchdowns across three years. He then jumped back up to the FBS for his final year at Tennessee, grabbing 22 receptions for 283 yards and five touchdowns. Before his first stint with Green Bay, he had stops with the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Chargers, and Los Angeles Rams. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler even ranked him as the #19 tight end in 2024, giving him a priority free agent grade.
So, McCallan Castles gets another shot, maybe his first real crack at an NFL regular-season game after a wild ride. With the Packers’ tight end room looking like an urgent care clinic, he is going to have every opportunity to make an impression. It is go time for him to prove what he can do on the field.
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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