NFL Player News

The Bills waived Morris on Tuesday, Heather Prusak of News4Buffalo reports.

The undrafted free agent caught 125 passes and 13 touchdowns during his four-year career at Bowling Green. The Bills would like to develop him on their practice squad, but the athletic tight end will have to clear waivers first.

Hollister was released by the Bills on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The Bills failed to bring in a higher-profile addition at tight end this offseason before giving Hollister a one-year contract with only $137,5000 guaranteed. Dawson Knox remains the team's top tight end and lone receiving threat at the position, with Buffalo likely using some four-wide sets to mitigate the impact of a weak TE group.

Tomlinson was released by the Ravens on Monday, independent NFL journalist Aaron Wilson reports.

Tomlinson geared up in seven games last year, but he was targeted just once across 126 snaps. Ravens tight end Nick Boyle (knee) could miss time to start the season. If that's the case, Tomlinson could be re-signed before the season opener.

Sokol was waived by the Chargers on Monday.

Sokol was buried on the Chargers' depth chart at tight end, which makes this decision relatively unsurprising. He spent the latter half of last season on their practice squad after getting dropped by Detroit. He is now set to again look for a new destination.

Cager was waived by the Jets on Monday, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

Cager appeared in two games for the Jets last season, recording two catches for 35 yards. The second-year receiver scored a touchdown in the Jets preseason game against the Eagles but clearly it wasn't enough for him to make the roster. Look for Cager to try to sneak onto a roster or practice squad somewhere else.

The Buccaneers cut Hudson on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Hudson has looked good as a receiver this preseason, so he could be a candidate to resurface on Tampa Bay's practice squad or land a role elsewhere in the league. Last season Hudson appeared in 10 games with the Buccaneers, in which span he secured three of seven targets for 41 yards.

Engram is undergoing tests to determine the severity of his calf injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

With just under two weeks left until the Giants' season opener, the timing of the tight end's injury is problematic. If his Week 1 status ends up being in question, Kaden Smith could see his profile in the team's offense expand, given that Kyle Rudolph is currently dealing with a foot issue that clouds his status heading into the coming campaign.

Conklin (hamstring) is scheduled to return to practice Monday, while fellow Vikings tight end Irv Smith needs knee surgery, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

There's a chance Smith's surgery is season-ending, if it ends up being a meniscus repair rather than a meniscectomy/debridement. Meanwhile, Conklin's return Monday puts him on track for the start Week 1 at Cincinnati, after missing the past two weeks of practice and the final two preseason games. His solid performance last year had him locked in for the No. 2 spot at tight end this season, but while the Vikings may be comfortable using Conklin as a fill-in starter, Zimmer acknowledged Monday that he's worried about depth. Zimmer is right to be concerned, as the Vikings now have only a rookie fifth-round pick (Zach Davidson) and two undrafted young players (Brandon Dillon, Shane Zylstra) behind Conklin, who himself had caught just 13 passes in 39 NFL games before he took on a larger role around Week 10 last year. Even so, Conklin could have short-term fantasy value if he defaults to a three-down role in what should be a solid offense.

Smith (knee) will have surgery this week to address a meniscus injury, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Mike Zimmer confirmed Monday that Smith will have surgery and miss the start of the regular season. The Vikings coach said he wouldn't know about a timeline until after the procedure, as is often the case with meniscus injuries. There's a chance it could be season-ending, per Chad Graff of The Athletic, but there's also a chance Smith is looking at something as favorable as a four-week timeline, according to Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com. A meniscus repair likely would rule him out for four months or longer, while a meniscectomy (removal of the torn portion) could allow for a return around Weeks 3-5. The Vikings expect Tyler Conklin (hamstring) to return to practice Monday, but Zimmer acknowledged the team's TE depth isn't good, per Graff.

Smith caught both his targets for 26 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-20 preseason loss to New England, while fellow Giants tight end Evan Engram left early with a calf injury.

With Kyle Rudolph (foot) and now Engram looking uncertain for Week 1 against Denver, it's possible Smith jumps from third on the depth chart to a three-down role, at least temporarily. He technically made 12 starts last season, but Smith saw just 21 targets on 453 snaps while working behind Engram, down from 42 targets on 433 snaps in 2019 when he spent the second half of his rookie season filling in for an injured Engram. Smith even put up serviceable fantasy numbers over his six starts in 2019, averaging 5.0 catches for 44.5 yards and 0.5 TDs on 6.8 targets. He's unlikely to match that if he handles the No. 1 role for a period again, but he'd at least be worth monitoring as a potential TE streamer.