GREEN BAY, Wis. – This was supposed to be Luke Musgrave’s time.

With Tucker Kraft out for the season with a knee injury, it was time for Musgrave to reassert himself as not just the Green Bay Packers’ primary tight end, but a difference-making tight end.

It was time to remind everyone why he would have obliterated franchise rookie receiving records by a tight end in 2023 if not for a lacerated kidney, an injury that opened the door for Kraft.

It was time to show the football world what he’s capable of doing when ability, health and opportunity coalesce at the perfect time.

Instead, on Sunday against the New York Giants, all Musgrave got was a lot of time on the bench.

Musgrave played the fewest snaps of Green Bay’s three tight ends. John FitzPatrick, who was selected 171 picks after Musgrave in the 2023 draft, played 35 snaps. Josh Whyle, who was taken 105 picks after Musgrave in 2023 and was promoted from the practice squad a week earlier, played 20 snaps.

Musgrave played 19. The coaches would never use the word, but he essentially was benched for the final 27 minutes of the game. His final snap was the play before Whyle’s touchdown catch with 11:40 to play in the third quarter.

“Well, I wouldn’t read into that,” tight ends coach John Dunn said on Wednesday. “Two weeks ago, he played, I don’t know, however many (snaps) – a lot.”

Yes, Musgrave did play a lot in the 10-7 loss to the Eagles. His 52 snaps were a season high by 22 and his most in more than two years.

“I think every game’s a little different,” Dunn continued. “Not for competitive advantages to go into that, but I think there’s certain personnel groupings, certain things that we do, sometimes it leans one way or the other, and that’s just kind of how games go. But not a reflection of him.”

That, of course, is true. It’s also coach-speak. The Giants took a 20-19 lead with 7:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, meaning the Packers absolutely, positively needed a response. That would seem to be the portion of the game that would “lean” – to borrow Dunn’s word – toward having a pass-catching tight end on the field. Especially given the state of the beat-up receiver depth chart.

Instead, on Green Bay’s seven-play touchdown drive, Whyle was on the field for six, FitzPatrick was on the field for five and Musgrave was on the field for zero.

“Obviously, like we’ve talked about before with Tuck being down, he’s going to have more opportunities,” quarterback Jordan Love said on Wednesday. “I think it’s something we’ve got to keep building on. I think he’s been a guy who’s made a lot of plays and now it’s just got to keep translating to the games and things like that.

“He’s done some good things and I think we’ve just got to keep building. I think for him, it’s having that confidence when he goes out there with everything he does that he can go make plays. Everybody’s confident in Luke.”

Even the coaches? And Love himself?

Love threw two passes to Musgrave on Sunday. One was fumbled out of bounds and the second was ruled a fumble on the field but turned into an incompletion after a booth review. It’d be almost impossible to have a worse day.

“A dropped pass or things like that, you’ve just got to play that next play,” Love said. “I think building guys up and always giving guys confidence is always the way to go, no matter who it is.

“I think it’s something we’ll just keep building with him but, no matter who it is – if it’s me having turnovers, I’ve got to have those guys around me that trust me to keep going out there and making plays and know that the ball’s going to keep coming to you. You’ve just got to keep finding ways to improve and get better and better.”

Kraft suffered his torn ACL against Carolina. In games the past two weeks against Philadelphia and New York, Musgrave caught 4-of-5 passes for 22 yards. Of 51 tight ends with at least three targets during that span, Musgrave ranks 46th in yards per route, according to PFF.

That’s obviously a small sample size. A week earlier against Carolina in the immediate aftermath of Kraft’s injury, Musgrave caught 3-of-3 passes for 34 yards on a got-to-have-it drive in the fourth quarter.

They needed Musgrave in that game. They’ll probably need him again. There will be opportunities. The next two home games are against Minnesota and Chicago, teams that have allowed the 12th-most and seventh-most receptions to opposing tight ends, respectively.

“He absolutely needs to play more than whatever snaps he played in the second half,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday, noting that has been “addressed” with his assistant coaches. “We’ll make sure that happens.”

Musgrave is at his best down the field and not in the short game that Kraft dominated. Both of Sunday’s botched opportunities came on passes thrown about 1 yard downfield.

He’s got to make those plays, to be sure, but the Packers also have to do a better job of taking advantage of his skill-set.

“I think it’s just work every single day,” Dunn said. “I think that’s football, first of all, and I say this every week, and we talked about it with Tuck even, but it’s not always the things that are evident to everyone, right? Ball production is the most production everyone sees.

“I think there’s areas he’s grown a lot in. I think there’s areas we all have to do better in. So, just continuing to practice, continuing to get the trust, continuing to make plays. Making plays grows confidence in everyone. It’s just continual work every single day, which he puts in every single day.”