NFL Player News

Henry appeared to tweak his shoulder during Sunday's practice, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Cox notes that the tight end was checked out by head trainer Jim Whalen afterward. For now, consider Henry day-to-day in advance of Thursday's preseason opener against Washington. When healthy, Henry and Jonnu Smith are set to serve as a talented one-two punch in an offense that could use plenty of multi-TE formations this coming season.

Long was carted off the field Sunday after suffering an apparent left knee injury, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

The report notes that the rookie tight end couldn't put any weight on his left leg after suffering the injury, so it looks like Long could miss some time. The 2021 third-round pick had been looking to carve out a role in the Dolphins' passing offense behind top option Mike Gesicki, while competing with Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen for slotting.

Keene (knee) recently underwent season-ending surgery to address a meniscus injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The Patriots placed Keene on the preseason PUP list with an undisclosed injury before training camp kicked off, and the aforementioned procedure will send him to injured reserve for the entirety of the 2021 campaign. According to Rapoport, Keene had a similar surgery during his time at Virginia Tech, and he also spent time on IR last season with a knee issue. In any case, the 2020 third-rounder won't be a part of the Patriots offense this fall, leaving tight end to be covered by newcomers Jonnu Smith and Hunter Henry (as expected) and fellow second-year player Devin Asiasi.

Asiasi was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Asiasi's return coincides with fellow 2020 draft pick Dalton Keene shifting to injured reserve with a knee injury. The offseason signings of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith have essentially assured Asiasi will be primarily a special teams asset this season provided the expensive duo stays healthy.

The Patriots placed Keene on injured reserve Saturday after he recently underwent surgery to address meniscus damage to his knee, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network repots.

Keene opened camp on the PUP list with the knee issue, and after he apparently didn't progress as the Patriots had hoped, he was sent in for the season-ending procedure. Despite facing a lack of established competition for reps as a rookie last season, the 2020 third-round pick was a major disappointment, compiling just three receptions for 16 yards across six games. With the offseason additions of Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, Keene wasn't expected to have a major role on offense in 2021, even before he underwent the procedure. He'll likely have to fight for a roster spot if he returns healthy for the 2022 season.

Cleveland tight ends coach Drew Petzing praised Njoku's work during training camp, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

Njoku, who hooked up on a long completion with quarterback Baker Mayfield early in Friday's practice, has flown under the radar the first days of camp. Over the last few years, it's no secret he wanted a more involved role, but Petzing is pleased with the fifth-year veteran's attitude. "He has been great," Petzing said. "The funny thing is I know there has been a lot of noise on the outside, my experience with him really from the day I got here has been very positive. In terms of the way the kid works, he prepares and the product he puts on the field, it has been awesome." Despite Petzing's praise, Njoku is expected to slot third on the depth chart behind Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant.

Pederson signed with the Saints on Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Pederson originally signed with the the 49ers in May as an undrafted free agent. However, the team ultimately opted to let him go earlier in the week. The Louisiana Monroe product will now look to make an impression back home in New Orleans.

There's an expectation Waller (undisclosed) returns to practice "soon," Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Sidelined from back-to-back training camp sessions earlier this week, Waller seemingly is tending to an unknown injury or ailment, which will be behind him in short order. Over the last two seasons, he's established himself as one of the most reliable performers at tight end, averaging 6.2 catches on 8.2 targets for 73.2 yards yards per game while scoring 12 touchdowns in 32 contests.

Hooper (illness) returned to practice Friday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Hooper was out for only one or two days. He was disappointing for fantasy managers last season, unable to overcome the challenge of joining a new team with a new coaching staff in a year without spring practices or preseason games. However, Hooper had a better year from the Browns' standpoint, with competent blocking helping the team's prolific rushing attack and a late flurry of receiving production contributing to a playoff appearance. He's locked in as a starter for the second season of a four-year, $42 million contract, but there's no guarantee of improvement on his 2020 average of 5.4 targets per game, considering the Browns also have David Njoku and Harrison Bryant at tight end, not to mention WR Odell Beckham returning from an ACL tear. 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.

Okwuegbunam (knee) declared himself 100 percent healthy Friday, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

The second-year pro has made a smooth recovery from Dec. 1 surgery to repair an ACL tear, even participating in padded practices early in training camp. Okwuegbunam is stuck behind Noah Fant on the depth chart, but the fourth-round pick has the talent to be one of the better No. 2 tight ends in the league, with 4.49 speed at 6-foot-5, 258 pounds. Okwuegbunam was promising in his four games last season, catching 11 of 15 targets for 121 yards and a TD.