Packers star TE Kraft (ACL) activated off PUP

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft was activated off the physically unable to perform list Friday, less than nine months after surgery to repair the torn ACL in his right knee. He is expected to be eased back into practice. This follows -- and is perhaps even slightly accelerated from -- Kraft's timeline for a return. He said last month that he intended to practice at some point in training camp and be ready for the season opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13 without any limitations. "It'll be no team [drills]," Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before Friday's practice. "So, we're just going to kind of get him back ingrained into the process and into individual. What's great is when they do come off PUP, then now he can partake in some of the walk-through periods, especially that we do in the evenings, just to get him back hearing the call, lining up and then just going through that." The Packers typically don't allow players coming off ACL injuries to practice until nine months after undergoing ACL surgery. Kraft was injured on Nov. 2 and had the surgery about 10 days after that. So it's unlikely that Kraft will begin doing 11-on-11 drills for at least another week or two. "He's still at about that 8½-month mark," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said earlier this week. "But the way he looks, you'd think he's ready to go, because when you see him out there, it's a little bit like Christian [Watson looked last year]. Those guys, they look really, really good early. But there's a lot of science behind the nine-month mark, and so we'll be very cautious as we head into it." At the time of his injury, Kraft had 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns. To that point, he was the only tight end in the NFL with 30-plus receptions, 475-plus receiving yards, six-plus receiving TDs and an average of 15-plus yards per catch through Week 9. Kraft is entering the final season of his rookie contract. Both he and the Packers have expressed a desire to get a deal done as soon as possible, perhaps even before the start of the season. A source told ESPN on Friday that talks are still in the early stages. "I think it would be best if we got it done as soon as possible," Kraft said Wednesday.