NFL Player News

Coach Kevin Stefanski said he'll expand Hooper's role this year, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "We're going to grow [Hooper's] role,'' Stefanski said last week. "He really understands now in Year 2 how we plan to use him, and again, I do believe his role can grow."

Hooper was disappointing in fantasy last year, but he had a better season from Stefanski's standpoint, with solid blocking helping the team's prolific rushing attack while a late flurry of receiving production contributed to a playoff appearance. He's now locked in as a starter for the second season of a four-year, $42 million contract, but regardless of his coach's intentions, there's no guarantee of improvement on Hooper's 2020 average of 5.4 targets per game. The Browns also have David Njoku and Harrison Bryant at tight end, not to mention WR Odell Beckham returning from an ACL tear as well as Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt gobbling up volume from the backfield. On the other hand, Hooper does have plenty of room to improve his efficiency after posting career lows for both catch rate (65.7 percent) and yards per target (6.2) last season. He had a 77.3 percent catch rate and 8.1 YPT in four years with the Falcons, highlighted by a breakout 2019 in which he averaged 60.5 receiving yards per game while sharing the field with WRs Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones.

The Raiders are not overly concerned about Waller's ankle injury, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.

Waller would likely be available to suit up if the Raiders had a regular-season game this weekend, rather than a preseason matchup of far less importance, according to Fowler. The team simply appears to be taking a cautious approach to the star tight end's injury, which is a prudent strategy considering his key role on offense as quarterback Derek Carr's most trusted target. Even if Waller does end up sitting out Saturday's exhibition matchup against Seattle, he will have plenty of time to get back on the field before the Raiders' regular-season opener against Baltimore on Sept. 13.

Jordan has quit running on a few plays in which he was the target, Aaron Reiss of The Athletic reports.

Jordan has been a downfield threat and YAC machine in camp, but there have been a few instances in which coaches have told him he needs to finish out plays, especially when he's the target for a ball that fell incomplete. Like most rookie tight ends, particularly those undersized like Jordan, he needs to work on blocking technique, but he could be a mismatch for defenses. Jordan enters Saturday's preseason opener against Green Bay last on the tight end depth chart, but he's expected to get some run. It appears Jordan Akins (leg) may not participate.

Akins (leg) missed a third consecutive practice Thursday, Deepi Sidhu of the Texans' official site reports.

Houston head coach David Culley suggested the injury is not serious, so it's likely the team is being cautious with one of its potential starters. It's a good bet Akins doesn't play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Packers, opening up reps for several others, including 2021 fifth-round pick Brevin Jordan, who ended Thursday's practice session with a touchdown catch, per John Harris of the Texans' official site.

Bryant added mass to his body during the offseason, Anthony Poisal and Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site report.

Bryant was a 230-pounder as a rookie in 2020 and noted the challenge when lining up against muscular defensive ends. As such, he wanted added bulk to become a better blocker. He's pushing 245 pounds in this camp, and he's less overmatched. Of course, technique matters when it comes to blocking, and that's an area he's focused on in camp. The added mass provides another benefit, this one as a receiver, which showed during Thursday's session when he caught a contested ball. Bryant enters Saturday's preseason opener third on the unofficial depth chart behind Austin Hooper and David Njoku.

Freiermuth (shoulder) caught his only target for six yards in Thursday's 24-16 preseason win over Philadelphia.

Freiermuth made his Steelers debut after sitting out the Hall of Fame Game against the Cowboys. The rookie second-round pick was called for a holding penalty on Pittsburgh's opening drive but managed to catch a pass in the second quarter. With established veteran Eric Ebron topping the tight end depth chart in Pittsburgh, Freiermuth will likely be brought along slowly, though he'll try to outplay Ebron when the Lions come to town for more preseason action next week.

Ertz caught two of three targets for 20 yards in Thursday's 24-16 preseason loss to the Steelers.

Ertz appears set to play for the Eagles this season after requesting a trade in the offseason, and he seems to have built up a nice rapport with starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. Two of Hurts' three completions in two drives of action went to Ertz, while fellow tight end Dallas Goedert -- who's expected to see as much if not more receiving work -- added a 34-yard catch of his own. With an unproven cast of young players on the outside, Philadelphia's passing game could be as reliant on tight ends as any in the league, allowing both Goedert and Ertz to maintain fantasy relevance. Up next for Ertz will be a visit from the Patriots for Week 2 of preseason.

Smith caught one of two targets for 16 yards in Thursday's 22-13 preseason win over Washington.

Smith's lone catch came on a pass from Cam Newton on New England's second possession. Fellow offseason addition Hunter Henry (shoulder) could miss the rest of the preseason, leaving Smith atop New England's tight end depth chart. Smith handled himself well in such a role with the Titans last season, racking up career highs in catches (41), receiving yards (448) and touchdowns (eight).

The Cardinals placed Daniels (undisclosed) on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

Daniels and three other Cardinals are considered high-risk close contacts, hence the reason for this move. When he gets back on the field, he's the only Arizona tight end aside from starter Maxx Williams with experience in coach Kliff Kingsbury's offense. Last season, Daniels earned a 32.3 percent share of the offensive snaps en route to an 8-92-1 line on 11 targets in 12 games. Both his workload and number of targets could increase with Dan Arnold moving on to the Panthers this offseason.

Ertz is in uniform and participating in pregame warmups ahead of Thursday's preseason contest against the Steelers, indicating he'll play, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

There was an expectation the Eagles would trade Ertz in the offseason, but the rumor mill has been bucked, and he remains with the team. It's unclear exactly how much he may see the field Thursday, but a possession or two seems reasonable as he continues to develop a rapport with second-year quarterback Jalen Hurts.