NFL Player News

Akins did not catch either of his two targets in Sunday's 37-21 win over the Jaguars.

Akins played a surprisingly subordinate role in the passing game to Pharoah Brown, who caught four of five targets for 67 yards. The one saving grace is that both of Akins' targets were in the red zone.

Brown caught four of five targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 37-21 win over the Jaguars.

Brown had a nice run to finish out the 2020 season for Houston, but he was not expected to have a significant role in the passing game this season. He played 59 snaps (76 percent), tied Danny Amendola for second among targeted receivers and was second in receiving yards. The Week 1 performance is a surprising development for a player considered to be a blocking tight end. Jordan Akins, last season's primary receiving tight end, was targeted twice (zero catches) and played fewer snaps (47).

Graham caught one pass for 11 yards in Chicago's 34-14 loss to the Rams on Sunday.

Graham was targeted twice, but his lone reception came in the red zone, as he was stopped inside the five-yard line. Even though he played just 20 percent of the snaps, the fact he was used in the red zone indicates that he has the chance to score a touchdown in any given week, but it's unlikely he'll be a featured part of the Chicago passing attack with Cole Kmet now nearly a full-time player.

Thomas caught one of two targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 19-14 win over the Jets.

Thomas opened the third quarter with a long gain and actually played two more snaps than starter Dan Arnold, who managed just a pair of catches for six yards. Although Thomas isn't expected to be much of a factor in Carolina's passing game this season, occasional impact plays like Sunday's grab would keep him in the mix for spare looks.

Arnold caught two of three targets for six yards in Sunday's 19-14 win over the Jets.

Arnold approached Week 1 with steady praise from his initial practices as a Panther, but the offseason addition didn't make much of an impact in his regular-season debut for Carolina. In fact, backup Ian Thomas finished with more yards than Arnold, picking up 17 on his lone reception Sunday. Following an underwhelming opening performance, it'll be interesting to see whether Arnold gets more involved Week 2 versus the Saints, one of his former teams.

Bryant caught one of two targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 33-29 loss to Kansas City.

Bryant emerged as the second tight end ahead of David Njoku in 2020, but the roles were reversed in the season opener. Close watchers of the Browns' training camp and preseason were expecting this, but it became noticeable Week 1, when Njoku (35 snaps) nearly doubled the playing time of Bryant, who was on the field for 19 offensive snaps.

Njoku caught three of five targets for a team-high 76 yards in Sunday's 33-29 loss to Kansas City.

Njoku (35 snaps, 59 percent) played nearly as much as starter Austin Hooper (38, 64) and showed off his athleticism with a 43-yard reception, the second-longest among Cleveland targets. It's a promising start for Njoku, who appeared to have lost playing time to then-rookie Harrison Bryant in 2020, but he nearly doubled Bryant's 19 snaps.

Hooper caught all three targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 33-29 loss to the Chiefs.

Cleveland's reputation for a tight-end happy offense didn't disappoint Week 1, as the threesome of Hooper, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant combined for 10 targets. Hooper was targeted once in the red zone. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski talked during the preseason about expanding Hooper's role, but that did not materialize in the season opener. If anything, it was Njoku (five targets, three catches, 76 yards) who staked a claim as Cleveland's top receiving tight end.

Kmet had five receptions (seven targets) for 42 yards in Sunday's 34-14 loss to the Rams.

Kmet took over as the starting job in Chicago this season, and he responded with a solid performance, finishing second on the team in targets. Veteran tight end Jimmy Graham saw only two targets, so it appears the timeshare will favor the younger tight end heavily. No player finished with more than 45 receiving yards against the Rams' tough defense, so those hoping for a breakout performance from the 2020 second-round pick will have to wait another week. Kmet and the Bears will have a softer matchup against the Bengals in Week 2.

Firkser recorded three receptions on four targets for 19 yards in Sunday's Week 1 loss to Arizona.

As expected, despite being listed second on the team's depth chart, Firkser served as the primary pass-catching tight end for the Titans. However, that didn't translate to much production, as the likes of Chester Rogers, Jeremy McNichols and Derrick Henry either surpassed or equaled Firsker's target total. Despite the disappointing effort, Week 2 could provide Firkser with another solid opportunity to produce as the team will take on Seattle in what could be a high-scoring matchup.