NFL Player News

Davidson signed with the Vikings' practice squad Wednesday, Craig Peters of the team's official site reports.

Davidson was unable to make the initial 53-man roster, but he'll remain in Minnesota on the practice squad. The rookie fifth-round pick could receive a promotion if the Vikings deal with any more injuries at tight end.

Ertz said Wednesday that he's "moving on from everything that happened this offseason" and is happy to be with the Eagles, Tim McManus of ESPN.com reports.

Ertz also anticipates regaining his pre-2020 form, though he might not have the same role even if that more or less happens. While Ertz's return to the Eagles after some offseason drama puts a dent in Dallas Goedert's breakout case, there's seemingly still a good chance the 26-year-old sees more targets than his 30-year-old counterpart. That said, Ertz has three Pro Bowl appearances and five 70-catch seasons to his name, while Goedert has thus far maxed out at a 58-607-5 receiving line (in 2019). Both are scheduled for free agency next offseason.

The Vikings placed Smith (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday, Eric Smith of the team's official site reports.

Minnesota's pass-catching corps has been hammered by injuries in training camp and the preseason, but Smith's health concern seems to be the most serious. On Wednesday, he underwent a repair of his meniscus, which is accompanied by a 4-to-5-month recovery timeline. With Smith likely out for the season, the Vikings have gotten creative with the tight end room, trading for Chris Herndon from the Jets and claiming Ben Ellefson off waivers from the Jaguars. Herndon and Ellefson will join holdovers Tyler Conklin, the likely Week 1 starter, and Brandon Dillon.

Conklin could see an expanded role at tight end after Irv Smith (knee) underwent a procedure Wednesday that will likely sideline him for the entire season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Vikings traded for Chris Herndon on Tuesday, but the team mostly seems to be counting on Conklin to shoulder the burden of the No. 1 tight end. Head coach Mike Zimmer mentioned that Smith's injury will impact formation usage, with the Vikings likely using more three-wide sets than they did last season when Smith, Conklin and Kyle Rudolph were all on the team. Still, Conklin could be looking at 50-plus snaps per week even in a more spread-out offense, given that Herndon, 2019 undrafted free agent Brandon Dillon and waiver pickup Ben Ellefson are the only other tight ends on the roster. Conklin won't blow anyone away with his 4.8 speed, but he caught 19 of 26 targets for 194 yards last year. He returned to practice Monday after dealing with a hamstring injury for much of training camp.

Smith (knee) is expected to miss the entire 2021 season, as he's facing a recovery timeline of 4-to-5 months after Wednesday surgery to repair his meniscus, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The hope for fantasy managers was that Smith would get a meniscectomy rather than a meniscus repair. The timeline associated with the latter procedure means any chance of him playing this season will perhaps hinge on Minnesota qualifying for the playoffs. For now, Smith's potential breakout is on hold, while the Vikings are left with Tyler Conklin, Brandon Dillon and recent trade acquisition Chris Herndon as their options at tight end. Conklin should get plenty of snaps Week 1 against Cincinnati.

The Rams waived Blanton on Tuesday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Blanton was signed by the Rams as an UDFA out of Missouri in 2019. He was bumped up to the active roster for a short period during his rookie season but has spent the majority of his time on the Rams' practice squad. If he clears waivers, the 25-year-old could be a candidate for the practice squad once again.

Kampmoyer was waived by the Chargers on Tuesday, Gilbert Manzano of The Orange County Register reports.

It's at least promising that the rookie tight end appears destined for the team's practice squad, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports. The undrafted free agent was primarily a blocking specialist throughout his collegiate career and likely would fill a similar role on the 53-man roster should he be promoted down the road.

Sullivan was waived by the Panthers on Tuesday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Sullivan spent most of the 2020 season with the Seahawks' practice squad, suiting up in just one game. Though the LSU product is listed as a tight end, he has tried switching to defensive end in the past and could experiment on the practice squad again.

The Falcons waived Wells on Tuesday.

Wells started training camp with New England but was picked up by Atlanta after getting cut. The journeyman is still looking for a destination that leads to him suiting up for his first NFL game.

Sternberger made the Packers' roster but will open the season on the reserve/suspended list.

With Sternberger having an inconsistent training camp and facing a two-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, the Packers could have opted to release him on cut-down day. However, with the team able to place him on the suspended list without occupying a roster spot, they decided to keep him around for the time being. The Packers will have another decision to make when Sternberger is eligible to return in Week 3, and there is still a chance he could be sent packing at that point.