NFL Player News

Gesicki has been QB Tua Tagoviloa's "go-to receiver" early in camp, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald reports.

The report also notes that the young QB has thrown a lot of passes to running backs, in part because veteran wide receivers DeVante Parker, Will Fuller and Preston Williams are out with injuries. Gesicki gets a nice opportunity to build chemistry with Tagovailoa, but further down the line, the tight end could face tough competition for targets from a deep WR group that added Fuller and sixth overall pick Jaylen Waddle in the offseason. Gesicki is in the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, coming off a 2020 campaign with career highs for catches (53), yards (703) and TDs (six), though he actually saw four fewer targets (85) than in 2019.

Akins made a number of catches at Thursday's practice, John Harris of the Texans' official website reports.

Akins is on track to work as Houston's top pass-catching tight end, with an opportunity to handle more snaps (and possibly targets) after Darren Fells left for Detroit in the offseason. The Texans did draft Brevin Jordan in the fifth round and still have 258-pound blocker Pharaoh Brown and 2019 third-round pick Kahale Warring, but Akins is the only tight end on the roster with more than 19 NFL receptions. Given the poor state of the team's WR group, Akins could see a handful of targets per game -- possibly even more if he can improve his blocking and earn a three-down role.

As expected, Smith (hamstring) has been a practice participant during training camp, ESPN's Mike Reiss reports.

The free-agent acquisition previously missed time with a hamstring issue, but Smith has been working fully in camp and will now be part of the Patriots' new 1-2 punch at tight end, joined by fellow newcomer Hunter Henry. Though Henry's presence creates the possibility that a time-share could somewhat hamper Smith's target volume, it's also reasonable to expect that both players will have a decent fantasy floor due to the likelihood that multiple-tight-end sets will be a key component of New England's offense in 2021.

Thedford (undisclosed) left Thursday's practice due to injury, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

The specifics of Thedford's injury are not clear. Any missed time could hurt his chances of securing a depth role behind T.J. Hockenson and Darren Fells.

Hollister is listed as day-to-day due to a back injury, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

The free-agent signee apparently hurt himself during training camp work Thursday. Hollister is competing with Tommy Sweeney for a depth role behind starter Dawson Knox, so any significant absence could cost him in terms of potential playing time.

Seals-Jones exited Thursday's practice session early due to an apparent right leg injury, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Seals-Jones was helped off the field by trainers, and he was only able to walk gingerly. The 26-year-old tight end has an opportunity to earn a key depth role behind Logan Thomas in Washington, but those chances could dry up if he's forced to miss a significant portion of training camp.

Hill worked with the starters on the first day of training camp, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

However, Johnson notes that Jameis Winston was "really sharp" leading the second-string offense. Both quarterbacks figure to get plenty of run with the starters this summer, and Hill's standing on the first day may simply be a nod to his tenure with the Saints.

Kelce was removed from practice Thursday due to hip and back tightness, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

It's likely nothing to worry about this early in camp. Kelce has played 15 or 16 games in seven straight seasons, topping 850 snaps in each of the past six and 1,000 yards in each of the past five.

Okwuegbunam (knee) started training camp as a limited participant in practice, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

The 2020 fourth-round pick had surgery Dec. 1 to repair a torn ACL in his right knee, ending his rookie season with an 11/121/1 receiving line in four games. The Broncos seem to be counting on Okwuegbunam to finish up his rehab and earn the No. 2 spot at tight end, considering their other depth options at the position are Austin Fort (zero NFL appearances), Eric Saubert (10 catches in 40 games) and undrafted rookie Shaun Beyer. Starter Noah Fant already figures to play a lot of snaps, and he could handle even more than usual early in the season if Okwuegbunam struggles to get back into game shape at the end of a lengthy rehab process.

The Texans placed Brown on the non-football injury list Wednesday with an unspecified issue, NFL reporter Aaron Wilson reports.

Brown re-signed with Houston on a one-year, $2.2 million deal in the spring, but he's not healthy entering training camp. The 27-year-old appeared in 13 games in 2020 and caught 14 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.