NFL Player News

New England signed Sokol to its practice squad Wednesday, Mike Dussault of the Patriots' official site reports.

Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are entrenched as the Patriots' top two tight end options, but Sokol gives the team an in-house promotion option should added depth be needed at the position as the season progresses.

The 49ers re-signed Kroft on Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

As expected, Kroft has been brought back after being released ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline. The veteran tight end caught three passes for 42 yards during the preseason and figures to operate as the primary backup to George Kittle in 2022.

Parham (hamstring) returned to individual drills Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Parham hasn't practiced since injuring his left hamstring during a training camp practice at the beginning of August. He was initially considered week-to-week but hadn't shown much progress until he returned to practice Wednesday. If healthy for the Week 1 matchup with the Raiders, Parham could share reps at tight end with newcomer Gerald Everett.

The Broncos signed Tomlinson on Wednesday, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Tomlinson didn't make the initial 53-man roster but returns to the team after the Broncos placed two players on injured reserve. The 30-year-old tight end appeared in all 17 games for Baltimore last year and is expected to garner a sizable role behind Albert Okwuegbunam in Denver, at least until rookie tight end Greg Dulcich returns from IR.

Pinkney cleared waivers and reverted to the Rams' practice squad Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

After missing out on a spot on Los Angeles' initial 53-man roster Tuesday, Pinkney will at least get a chance to stay with the organization for the 2022 season. The 25-year-old tight end has yet to record a target in his NFL career, and it would likely take an injury to Tyler Higbee or Brycen Hopkins for him to see game action this year.

Rogers, a college quarterback, has a spot on the Commanders' initial 53-man roster as a tight end, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

The undrafted rookie didn't have many big plays in the preseason -- he caught five of seven targets for 33 yards -- but he did get snaps with the first-team offense after injuries wiped out Washington's TE depth. While his spot on the 53-man roster is tenuous, Rogers should at least land on the practice squad even if he slides down the depth chart as other players return to health.

Arizona head coach Kliff Klingsbury said it will "be close" when he was asked about Ertz's (calf) chances of suiting up Week 1 against the Chiefs, Tyler Drake of 98.7 FM Arizona Sports reports.

Kingsbury said the same thing about three other players that have been injured this summer, including wide receiver Rondale Moore (undisclosed). The coach doesn't want to give out injury information this close to the season, but more should be known about Ertz when the Cardinals release official injury reports next week ahead of their season opener.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said Waller (hamstring) will practice Wednesday, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Waller missed most of training camp and all of the preseason, seemingly practicing only a few times since late July. There's also been talk of him desiring a new contract, though it isn't necessarily a factor in Waller's availability. He'll have a week and a half to get ready for the Raiders' season opener against the Chargers on Sept. 11.

Bellinger is making progress in the concussion protocol, with his work at Wednesday's practice including running on the side, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Bellinger suffered the concussion Sunday and has another week and a half to get ready for the Giants' Sept. 11 season opener against the Titans. The fourth-round rookie worked with the starting offense throughout the preseason and appears to be the top option in arguably the weakest tight-end room in the league.

Bushman (collarbone) was placed on injured reserve by the Chiefs on Wednesday, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Bushman was waived/injured by the Chiefs on Tuesday, but he will now revert to the team's IR. The tight end is now set to miss the entire 2022 campaign unless he can reach an injury settlement with Kansas City.