NFL Player News

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday that Thomas continues to be sidelined due to a high-ankle issue, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Rhule added that Thomas was inadvertently kicked during a practice session last week and has reminded sidelined since. It's unclear how serious the issue is, but the tight end's participation in training camp will give a better indication as to whether or not the injury will affect his availability for the start of the regular season.

Horsted signed a contract with the Raiders on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Horsted gets another chance after he was waived by Chicago in May following a failed physical. He'll need to make a strong impression to crack the depth chart at tight end after Las Vegas also signed Jacob Hollister and rookie UDFAs Cole Fotheringham and Travis Koontz this offseason.

Mitchell (knee) was inactive for Tuesday's practice at mandatory minicamp, Jeremy Reisman of SB Nation reports.

The rookie remains unavailable while rehabbing his knee after suffering a torn ACL in his final season at Virginia Tech. Mitchell expected to receive full medical clearance by now and it's unclear if he did so and was merely being held out as a precaution, but he'll likely be ready to go for next month's training camp. He'll operate as a depth option behind T.J. Hockenson at tight end once healthy.

Sweeney (undisclosed) did not participate in Tuesday's training session, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Sweeney was on the sideline for Tuesday's organized team activity while nursing an undisclosed injury. He enters the season as the third option at tight end behind Dawson Knox and O.J. Howard.

Knox (undisclosed) didn't participate in Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Knox was dealing with a minor injury during OTAs, so it appears his extended absence is merely precautionary. The 2019 third-round pick caught a career-high nine touchdowns last season, but he may face competition for targets in 2022 from the recently signed O.J. Howard.

Hudson suffered a leg injury in Tuesday's training session, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports.

The tight end went down on a pass route, injuring his left leg and ultimately being carted off the field. Needing the cart is never a good sign, but more information on Hudson's injury will be provided by the Titans in the near future.

Carlson will work out with the Giants on Monday after being officially cleared to return to football activities, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The Princeton product saw just nine targets in his first two years in the league before a torn ACL suffered during a preseason game forced him to miss the entire 2021 campaign. Carlson still is looking for another opportunity after Cleveland opted not to retain him in 2022, but he now at least has a clean bill of health working in his favor.

Schultz informed the Cowboys on Monday he intends to skip the remainder of voluntary OTAs due to dissatisfaction with his current contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Schultz has already signed with Dallas for the 2022 season via a one-year, $10.9 million franchise tender, but both sides still have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. The soon-to-be 26-year-old produced a 78-808-8 line on 104 targets across 17 games last season, and he racked up 615 receiving yards the year prior. In the wake of David Njoku signing a four-year, $56.75 million contract in Cleveland, it's unsurprising to see Schultz attempt to push the Cowboys toward an extension. There's not yet any indication that Schultz could consider skipping mandatory minicamp mid-June, as that would subject him to fines.

Mundt (knee) has been working on the side during OTAs but believes he'll be ready to go by training camp in late July, Chris Tomasson of twincities.com reports.

Mundt was deployed almost exclusively as a blocker during his five years in Los Angeles before the Vikings signed him as a backup to Irv Smith this offseason. His path to targets in 2022 isn't clear barring an injury to Smith, and even then Minnesota probably would prefer to throw the ball to Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen or Dalvin Cook underneath.

Keene was only able to practice in a limited capacity during New England's OTAs last week, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

It was presumed that Keene had recovered from the surgery he underwent last August for a meniscus injury that held him out for all of 2021, but evidently that's not the case. It's a concerning sign for Keene, who will need to compete for reps behind Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. He'll need to participate in some capacity in training camp to be a lock to make the Patriots' 2022 roster.