Kraft is back on the field. That's the news.

Tucker Kraft was activated off the physically unable to perform list on July 31, less than nine months after tearing his ACL in November. He practiced Friday, on a limited basis, which is exactly where you'd expect him to be at this stage. His own characterization of the medical feedback was hard to ignore — a doctor at the UW BADGER Lab told him his knee "looks spectacular," and Kraft said it was "almost like he had never seen a rehabilitation like mine." That's a tight end talking, not a doctor, so temper expectations accordingly. But the activation itself is real, and it matters.

When Kraft went down last season he was producing at a rate that had people around the league paying attention — 6 touchdowns in just 8 games. The tight end room without him was functional but not dangerous, and that showed up in the December stretch when Green Bay dropped four straight and the offense lost its teeth. I noted two days ago that tight end remained one of the open questions even after Banks and Stackhouse came off the PUP. This answers part of it.

He's limited for now and the ramp-up will take weeks. But the Packers needed a reason to feel better about what this offense looks like at full strength, and Kraft walking back onto a practice field — ahead of schedule, by most accounts — is that reason.