NFL Player News

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.

Hurst started and played four snaps in Sunday's preseason game against Atlanta.

The Falcons played most of their starts, but not QB Matt Ryan or WR Calvin Ridley. They opened with Hurst and Kyle Pitts in a two-TE formation, which could be the base look this season after Atlanta's WR group took a big hit with the Julio Jones trade. New head coach Arthur Smith was a big proponent of multi-TE formations during his time in Tennessee, and that should continue in Atlanta, though the offense will look much different out of necessity without Derrick Henry and a top O-line. While unlikely to match last year's workload, Hurst should see a few targets in Atlanta's Sept. 12 opener against the Eagles.

Parham (tailbone) returned for Saturday's preseason game against Seattle, catching his lone target for five yards.

Parham missed the previous game with a tailbone injury, slowing down his momentum after reports from training camp named him as one of the early standouts. He should have a depth role this season, but fantasy utility will be a long shot unless veteran tight end Jared Cook misses time.

Manhertz caught his only target for 15 yards during Sunday's preseason win over the Cowboys.

Manhertz played only eight offensive snaps and connected with Trevor Lawrence for a 15-yard gain in the first quarter. The 29-year-old played sparingly throughout the preseason and caught his only other target for five yards. Manhertz inked a two-year, $7.25 million deal with Jacksonville in March and should have a regular role in the offense, but with 12 receptions in 70 career games his outlook entering Week 1 at Houston remains that of a blocking-oriented tight end. James O'Shaughnessy may be more involved in the passing game at the position for the Jaguars.

Angeline was waived by the Eagles on Sunday, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic Philadelphia reports.

Angeline signed with the Eagles a week ago, but he played just two snaps during Friday's preseason game against the Jets. The 23-year-old initially landed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in May but has now been waived by two teams ahead of the regular season.

Pitts caught his lone target for 27 yards in Sunday's 19-10 preseason loss to the Browns.

Pitts was one of the few key position players the Falcons opted to finally play in the team's final preseason tilt. The fourth overall pick from this year's draft put his tremendous athleticism on display when he took a short pass and barreled down the field through a couple defenders for 27 yards. Pitts is a rare and exciting talent who could be primed for a huge rookie campaign on a team that just lost one of its top playmakers in Julio Jones this past offseason. The rookie will make his official debut in a Week 1 tilt against the Eagles.