NFL Player News

Smith had surgery on his thumb Tuesday, with coach Kevin O'Connell saying afterward that the tight end should be ready for the start of the season.

This explains Smith's early departure from practice Monday and likely rules him out for most or all of training camp and the preseason. He'll have five and a half weeks to recover before the Vikings host the Packers on Sunday, Sept. 11. Next up on the team's TE depth chart are Ben Ellefson, Johnny Mundt, Zach Davidson and Nick Muse.

Smith missed the end of Monday's practice with a possible injury, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Smith left the session early before returning to the sideline without a helmet. The issue doesn't sound serious, but it'll be worth tracking if the tight end isn't back at practice within the next few days.

Alie-Cox (knee) returned to practice Tuesday, Zak Keefer of The Athletic reports.

He suffered the injury Saturday but is now back at practice three days later. The Colts mostly have used Alie-Cox as a blocker (and sometimes a goal-line threat) to this point in his career, but he could take on a larger role this season with Jack Doyle having retired and the competition for snaps coming from young, untested players (2021 fourth-round pick Kylen Granson and 2022 third-rounder Jelani Woods).

Seals-Jones did not participate in Monday's practice, marking the third consecutive session he's missed, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear if Seals-Jones is dealing with an injury, and he certainly has plenty of time to ramp into shape before the season begins, but his absence from practice is notable because he's in a competition for New York's starting tight-end role. The veteran came into camp with a slight inside edge for the gig, but the Giants also brought in ex-Texan Jordan Akins this offseason and selected Daniel Bellinger in the fourth round of the draft, and either player could pull ahead of Seals-Jones on the depth chart with a strong preseason.

Bryant is off to a strong start in training camp and looks ready to handle a greater load in 2022, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports. "He's been a very good player for us since he got here," Cleveland tight ends coach T.C. McCartney said. "He does a lot of things that do not show up on the stat sheet necessarily, but we expect him to take the next step, as well."

Bryant hauled in a few short passes Monday and was on the receiving end of a deep ball from Deshaun Watson on Saturday. With the Browns moving on from Austin Hooper during the offseason, Bryant is expected to pick up extra playing time behind starter David Njoku. It was only two seasons ago as a rookie that Bryant outplayed Njoku and earned more playing time than him.

Quitoriano (undisclosed) was activated from the active/PUP list Monday, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reports.

Quitoriano spent less than a week on the active/PUP list to begin training camp. The rookie fifth-round pick out of Oregon State will compete for a depth role at tight end with the Texans.

Fortson (quadriceps) didn't practice Monday, but coach Andy Reid believes the tight end will be available to practice within the next few days, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Once healthy, Fortson will compete for a depth role at tight end behind Travis Kelce. Per Reid, Fortson's injury "isn't too bad."

Likely is turning in a strong start to training camp and is vying for a role in the Ravens offense, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Mark Andrews is the clear No.1 option at tight end, but fellow rookie Charlie Kolar's injury means there's one less hurdle for Likely to clear in order to have a role. Likely, a rookie from Coastal Carolina, has carried over his positive momentum from minicamp to begin training camp as he is showing reliable hands and a better-than-expected ability to separate from defenders. Per Zrebiec, Likely appears "close to certain" to have a role Week 1 provided he continues to impress in practice and remains healthy.

Hurst has drawn praise from multiple teammates for his performance early in training camp, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

Safety Michael Thomas said Hurst's skill set is "as advertised," while slot cornerback Mike Hilton elaborated that "he can really move for his size," which will allow Hurst to be a "mismatch" for defenders. Signed to replace C.J. Uzomah as the team's starting tight end, Hurst could be more involved as a pass catcher than Uzomah was, but he hasn't been able to create a rapport with quarterback Joe Burrow yet, as the quarterback is recovering from an appendectomy.

Coach Nathaniel Hackett isn't concerned about Dulcich's (hamstring) absence from training camp, Zac Stevens of DNVR Sports reports.

The Broncos are taking it easy with their rookie third-round pick, and Hackett pointed out that there's still plenty of time for Dulcich to get up to speed before the regular season. Once healthy, Dulcich is expected to compete with Albert Okwuegbunam for playing time at tight end.