NFL Player News

Long (lower body) will not play Saturday against the Bears, David Furones of the Sun Sentinel reports.

The rookie was carted off the field last Sunday and was reportedly unable to put any weight on his left leg, but he evidently avoided a significant injury and has been without a brace for most of this week. The Dolphins will obviously play it safe with their third-round pick, which means Long will wait to make his professional debut until later in the preseason.

Parkinson (foot) could return to action in a matter of weeks, as his injury isn't expected to require surgery, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

The 2020 fourth-round pick suffered a broken fifth metatarsal in his foot last summer and spent the first half of his rookie season on the non-football injury list. He was activated at the end of October and barely played, but reports out of Seattle training camp this summer suggest Parkinson has looked much better heading into Year 2. That doesn't necessarily mean he'll have a role in the offense once he's healthy, but it does at least put him on track for a back-end roster spot. The latest issue with Parkinson's foot reportedly isn't too serious, despite initial concerns that it would require another surgery.

McKeon exited Friday's preseason game against the Cardinals due to an ankle injury, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

McKeon was impressing early in training camp and was putting together a strong case for a spot on the 53-man roster. The 23-year-old hauled in two of his four targets for 26 yards in last week's Hall of Fame Game against the Steelers before he secured his lone target for eight yards early in Friday's matchup. McKeon required a cart to get to the locker room after he left the game in the second quarter, and it's not yet clear how much time he'll miss due to the injury.

Pitts dressed for the team's preseason opener against the Titans on Friday but did not play, Tori McElhaney of The Athletic reports.

Coach Arthur Smith said after the game, "Kyle is right on schedule, and if we felt like he was behind we probably would have put him out there." Though it's disappointing to miss the chance to see Pitts on the field, everything seems to be in order for him to be a big contributor to the Falcons' offense as soon as the regular season begins. After the team selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft, Pitts should have the chance to establish himself as the team's second-most targeted receiver behind only Calvin Ridley.

Hockenson (undisclosed) didn't suit up for Friday's preseason opener against the Bills.

With Hockenson out, new Lions quarterback Jared Goff primarily targeted Tyrell Williams, who finished with two catches for 30 yards on four targets. Once healthy, Hockenson's likely to become Goff's top option in the passing game. The tight end, whom Detroit selected in the first round of the 2019 draft, will look to get healthy prior to Week 2 of preseason, when the Lions will travel to Pittsburgh.

Parkinson is slated to miss time after re-injuring the foot he broke last season, Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune reports.

It's a tough break for the tight end, who was having a strong summer, per Adam Jude of The Seattle Times. While it's clear that Parkinson -- who had been on track to slot in behind Will Dissly and Gerald Everett -- will be sidelined for some time, coach Pete Carroll relayed that the Seahawks plan to go "for multiple opinions on this one."

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.