Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love found himself a reliable option in the passing game during a 27-20 win over the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in Week 12. His name is Josh Whyle, and he's a first-year Packer who may be the answer to the team's tight end problems following Tucker Kraft's season-ending ACL tear.
Whyle seemingly overtook Luke Musgrave in one fell swoop, with a touchdown reception that put the Packers ahead 19-13 in the third quarter and multiple crucial blocks against a strong Giants defensive front.
As CheeseheadTV's Aaron Nagler so eloquently put it, "Packers have a player in Josh Whyle."
When Kraft initially went down, Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur celebrated the team's depth and gave a particular shoutout to Musgrave for being able to pick up the slack and provide a downfield threat.
"That's the beauty of having multiple guys that you feel confident in. You've just got to pivot. That's part of this game is you have to adapt sometimes to the circumstances that are presented to you, and especially when it comes to personnel," LaFleur said, via the team's official website.
"Luke's a guy that we've got a ton of confidence in. He definitely brings a vertical presence, and we're going to have to put him in situations where he can utilize his strengths."
Thus far, Musgrave has been a grave disappointment. His best performance ended with three catches and 34 receiving yards. He hasn't scored a touchdown all year. His blocking on run plays has been suspect. And now, he should be the backup again despite Kraft being out for the year.
Josh Whyle Can Be What Was Promised of Luke Musgrave
That one touchdown catch from Whyle was what was demanded from Musgrave for weeks. Just one timely catch like that could've had the former Oregon State Beavers standout in good graces with the fanbase. Instead, he did very little with the opportunities he was given.
It's been a few years waiting for Musgrave to become an asset in LaFleur's offense. In his golden opportunity, the brass ring was not only out of reach, it felt like it was on a different planet altogether.
There's now a very slim chance he sticks beyond this season in America's Dairyland. These last few weeks were his chance to carve out a role in the offense, but Musgrave was such a ghost that he should have fallen behind Whyle and out of the team's plans.