NFL Player News

Freiermuth (lower body) exited Thursday's practice early, Alan Saunders of Steelersnow.com reports.

The report relays that coach Mike Tomlin indicated that the Steelers' top tight end "experienced some lower-body tightness" and will be evaluated further. "We'll exercise that necessary precaution, get him evaluated and not let a small thing become a big thing," Tomlin added. Until Freiermuth is able to return to practice, Zach Gentry, Kevin Rader and Connor Heyward are next up for the team's TE reps.

Mitchell, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered last September, was medically cleared to practice Monday, Jeff Risdon of USA Today reports.

Mitchell missed the final 11 games of his college career with Virginia Tech due to his season-ending injury, but he participated in each of the Lions' first two training camp practices this week, per Nick Baumgardner and Colton Pouncy of The Athletic. The rookie fifth-round pick's draft status likely suffered due to this significant knee injury, so he could compete with Brock Wright, Devin Funchess and Garrett Griffin for Detroit's No. 2 tight end spot should he impress during training camp.

Tomlinson participated in Denver's opening practice of training camp Wednesday, The Colorado Springs Gazette reports.

Tomlinson was inactive while wearing a walking boot on his left during the Broncos' minicamp in June, but he appears to be back and healthy in training camp. The 30-year-old caught his lone target for seven yards over 17 games with Baltimore last season, and he figures to serve in a depth/blocking role with Denver this coming campaign.

Thomas, who previously carried an ankle injury this offseason, caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Sam Darnold in Wednesday's practice session, Ellis L. Williams of the Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Thomas has been cleared to practice after tending to a high-ankle issue during June's mandatory minicamp. While Thomas should see a decent amount of snaps with Carolina's starting unit this season, he's more of a blocking tight end than teammate Tommy Tremble, who enters his second season with comparatively higher fantasy utility than Thomas.

Quitoriano (undisclosed) was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list by the Texans on Tuesday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

It's unclear for what reason Quitoriano will start the first training camp of his career on the PUP list, but he is still eligible to practice and play at any point this preseason. When healthy, the fifth-round pick out of Oregon State should compete for a depth role at tight end behind Brevin Jordan and Pharaoh Brown heading into the regular season.

Vannett (illness) passed his physical Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports.

Vannett's medical clearance is an encouraging sign after he started Saints' training camp on the active/non-football illness list. The 29-year-old is thus eligible to practice once again and will look to cement a role in a tight end corps that also includes Adam Trautman, Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson.

Jackson (knee) was placed on the active/PUP list Wednesday.

Jackson tore his ACL in the Eagles' Week 18 loss to the Cowboys and underwent successful surgery in January to repair it. His current inability to return to practice shouldn't be a surprise, and his status for Week 1 is up in the air.

The Giants activated Bellinger (quadriceps) from the PUP list Wednesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Bellinger was placed on the list just under a week ago with a quadriceps issue, but he appears to be ready to return to practice as training camp gets underway. The 21-year-old is in line to get consideration for the starting role at tight end after he was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He'll compete with Ricky Seals-Jones and Jordan Akins for work at the position.

Kelce and the Chiefs agreed to terms on an adjusted contract Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Kelce's new deal increases his salary for the 2022 campaign, and while the move which should keep the star tight end happy for this season, it doesn't address a potential contract dispute down the road. The 32-year-old is under contract with Kansas City through 2025, on a deal which looks like a relative bargain for the team considering that Kelce is coming off six consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. His role on offense will be especially key in 2022 in the wake of the Chiefs' decision to trade Tyreek Hill, but as early as the 2023 offseason, Kelce's contract could once again surface as an issue that needs to be addressed.

Vannett (illness) was placed on the active/non-football illness list Tuesday, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports.

Vannett will have to wait to hit the field for training camp. The veteran tight end is expected to file in behind Adam Trautman and Taysom Hill on the Saints' positional depth chart.