NFL Player News

Okwuegbunam could see an increased role early in the season, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

With starting tight end Noah Fant sidelined with a leg injury since Aug. 19, Okwuegbunam could be called upon to take over the top spot at the position if Fant is unable to return for the season opener. Coach Vic Fangio believes Fant will return for Week 1, but said Okwuegbunam is "definitely ready" to take on No. 1 tight end role if needed. The 23-year-old appears ready to take a step forward in Denver's offense, and it's plausible to think that the coaching staff will look to get him more involved in the passing game. The Broncos used two-tight-end sets for nearly 40 percent of their snaps in the Broncos' preseason finale, which may hint at an intention to also deploy it frequently during the regular season. Nonetheless, it may be difficult for the 6-foot-5, 258-pounder to find a level of consistency in a Broncos offense littered with talented pass catchers. Okwuegbunam's clearest path to fantasy relevance would come if Fant is forced to miss an extended period of time.

Engram (calf) hasn't done much on the practice field this week, Dan Duggan of The Athletic.

Duggan adds that Engram was having a good summer prior to injuring his calf in the final preseason game. The tight end has been a repeated disappointment for both fantasy managers and the Giants, but he just turned 27 and stills ranks among the league's fastest players at his position. That said, he'll likely lose a bunch of last year's snaps to Kyle Rudolph, who also looks questionable for Week 1 in the aftermath of offseason foot surgery. Engram wore full pads for Thursday's practice, but he was then limited to side work with the training staff, according to Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record. Giants coach Joe Judge called it a "down day" for the tight end, noting that Engram likely will be held out through the weekend at the very least, per John Fennelly of Yahoo. The team will release its first injury report Wednesday, ahead of next Sunday's opener against the Broncos at the Meadowlands.

The Colts waived Togiai (undisclosed) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Thursday, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.

It is unclear what is ailing Togiai, but when he is healthy he will be free to join a new team during the 2021 campaign. He appeared in four games for the Colts last season and failed to catch his lone target.

The Cowboys moved McKeon (ankle) to injured reserve Thursday, Rob Phillips of the team's official site reports.

McKeon will be eligible to come off IR as early as Week 4 against the Panthers, as long as he's recovered from his ankle injury by then. The second-year pro appeared in 14 games with the Cowboys as a rookie last season.

Hollister agreed to a contract with the Jaguars on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The 27-year-old spent camp with the Bills and was unable to make the season-opening roster, and he'll now receive an opportunity with the Jags. Jacksonville has a weak group of tight ends with Chris Manhertz, James O'Shaughnessy and Luke Farrell, so Hollister could carve out a role in the offense with a strong showing at practice early on.

Fant (leg) isn't practicing Thursday, but he's still expected to return to practice next week, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

He's been out of practice for more than a week now, leaving Albert Okwuegbunam, Eric Saubert and Andrew Back as the Broncos' tight ends. The Broncos expect Fant to play Week 1 against the Giants, but we'll start to be concerned if he isn't on the practice field next week.

Jackson (back) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Jackson suffered a back fracture in mid-August that carries a recovery timetable of 8-to-10 weeks, and he won't be eligible to return until at least Week 4 against Kansas City. The 23-year-old had a strong camp prior to his injury but will have to wait to make his season debut.

Kroft is the only true tight end left on the roster after the Jets traded Chris Herndon and cut Kenny Yeboah, Daniel Brown and Ryan Griffin, NJ.com's Joey Chandler reports.

The Jets' passing game figures to focus on their deep group of wide receivers, but they'll presumably still need someone to take snaps at tight end, where the current choices are Kroft or 267-pound blocking specialist Trevon Wesco (three catches on 360 career offensive snaps). The 28-year-old Kroft had chances to start in Cincinnati and Buffalo and maxed out at 42-404-7 as a 16-game starter for the Bengals in 2017, but he's at least shown some ability in the red zone with 12 TDs on 85 career receptions. While he isn't likely to finish first or second on the team in targets, Kroft could see 4-5 looks per week if he's the only tight end running routes for rookie QB Zach Wilson.

Sweeney was back at practice Wednesday after missing Saturday's preseason finale due to a foot injury, Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News reports.

The Bills must have viewed Sweeney's injury as minor, given that they cut Jacob Hollister on Tuesday and now only have two true tight ends on the roster -- Sweeney and starter Dawson Knox. The third-year man enters the 2021 campaign as a clear backup to Knox, though for now, he's only one injury away from a key role in a high-powered offense.

Tomlinson signed a contract with the Ravens on Wednesday, Clifton Brown of the team's official site reports.

Tomlinson was cut by the Ravens on Monday, but he'll rejoin the team. The 29-year-old should serve as Baltimore's No. 3 tight end until Nick Boyle (knee) is ready to take the field.