NFL Player News

Bryant (thigh/thumb) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game against Pittsburgh, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Bryant practiced fully Wednesday, setting him up to play on a short week. The No. 2 tight end has drawn four targets in both of the Browns' first two games of the season.

Coach Zac Taylor said Tuesday that Sample (knee) will have surgery soon and will be out a few months, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Sample suffered the right knee injury during Sunday's Week 2 matchup against the Cowboys. He'll likely head to IR, leaving the Bengals with only two healthy tight ends -- Hayden Hurst and Mitchell Wilcox. Devin Asiasi (quadriceps) has yet to suit up this year, and it's unclear when he'll make his season debut.

Uzomah (hamstring) was limited at practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Uzomah didn't play in Week 2 and was deemed a game-time decision for Week 3 by coach Robert Saleh on Monday. However, the Jets probably won't have a good sense of what direction the tight end is trending until seeing how he progresses throughout practice this week. If Uzomah is eventually ruled out for the contest against his former team, Tyler Conklin, who caught six of nine targets for 40 yards during Sunday's win over the Browns, would serve as the team's top tight end again.

Knox caught four of five targets for 41 yards in Monday's 41-7 victory over the Titans.

Knox was more involved in Buffalo's game plan in Week 2, garnering three more targets than the week before, including a couple looks in the red zone. The fourth-year tight end figures to get more involved in the Bills' offense as the season goes on after he caught 49 passes for 587 yards and nine touchdowns in 2021. Knox will remain a solid fantasy option at tight end moving forward, especially if he continues to see looks close to the end zone.

Morris hauled in his lone target for a six-yard gain in Monday's 41-7 win over the Titans.

The second-year player out of Bowling Green missed the Bills' season-opening win over the Rams with a hamstring injury, but Morris served as the No. 2 tight end behind Dawson Knox in Week 2 while Tommy Sweeney was a healthy inactive. Though Morris ended up playing 28 of the Bills' 68 offensive snaps (41 percent), expect the usage gap between him and Knox (47 snaps, 69 percent) to remain wider in more competitive contests. Morris remains an intriguing prospect, but not one who will warrant much attention so long as Knox is available.

Gilliam logged two receptions for 17 yards and a touchdown on three targets in Monday's 41-7 win over the Titans.

Gilliam put the Bills on the board with 9:07 left in the first quarter, when he reeled in an 11-yard pass from Josh Allen for a score. After inking a two-year extension in August, Gilliam has more job security than most fullbacks around the league, but that doesn't mean he'll be a focal point of the offense. The three targets were a career-high total for Gilliam, who hasn't played more than 42 percent of the Bills' offensive snaps in any of his 18 games across the past two seasons.

Hudson recorded two receptions for 23 yards on three targets in Sunday's 19-16 win over the Panthers.

The pair of receptions were Hudson's first since the 2020 campaign, when he recorded a 3-41-0 receiving line on seven targets over 11 games for the Buccaneers. Rookie Daniel Bellinger remains the Giants' top tight end, but with snap shares barely north of 50 percent in both of his first two games, he's not necessarily entrenched atop the depth chart. Even if Hudson ends up poaching more snaps from Bellinger, the 27-year-old is still expected to primarily serve as a blocker whenever he's on the field.

Sullivan played four of the Panthers' 54 offensive snaps in Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Giants and turned his lone target into a 13-yard reception.

A healthy scratch Week 1, Sullivan dressed as Carolina's third tight end Week 2. Though Ian Thomas (40 snaps, three targets) served as the Panthers' clear top option at the position against the Giants, Sullivan wasn't far behind No. 2 tight end Tommy Tremble (nine snaps) in terms of usage. Even if he jumps Tremble on the depth chart and if Thomas misses time, Sullivan likely won't rank as a high priority in a weak Carolina passing game.

Tremble went without a target while playing nine of the Panthers' 54 offensive snaps (17 percent) in Sunday's 19-16 loss to the Giants.

Tremble's usage was cut in half compared to the Panthers' season-opening loss to the Browns, when he was on the field for 17 snaps (34 percent share). Ian Thomas looks to be locked in as Carolina's clear top tight end, and Tremble may not necessarily have a steady hold on the No. 2 role. Stephen Sullivan played only five fewer snaps than Tremble in Week 2 and turned his lone target into a 13-yard reception.

Ferguson failed to record a single target in Sunday's 20-17 win over the Bengals.

Ferguson was on the field for 56 percent of the Cowboys' offensive snaps, but he was a complete non-factor in the passing game. The rookie tight end could possibly take on an increased role in Week 3 if starter Dalton Schultz is forced to miss time with a PCL injury he suffered against Cincinnati. Though reports indicate that the injury is not considered to be a long-term issue, it's unclear whether or not Schultz will suit up when the Cowboys visit the Giants on Monday night. If he sits, Ferguson would be the next man up. However, the 23-year-old Wisconsin product would likely be hard to trust for fantasy purposes in his first career start against a division rival in primetime.