NFL Player News

Based on what he's seen early on in training camp, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic suggests that Fant "is likely to be used in more creative ways" during his second campaign working in Pat Shurmur's offense.

Fant, who recorded a team-high 62 catches (on 93 targets) for 673 yards and three TDs in 15 games last season, is going to be a big part of Denver's passing attack, regardless of who the team's QB is, an outcome that's pending an ongoing competition between Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock. Per the report, getting Fant -- who averaged 10.9 yards per reception last season, which was down from his 14.1 mark as a rookie -- "involved deeper down the field appears to be a priority" early in training camp, with the 2019 first-rounder noting that he expects to make an impact on all sorts of routes (deep, intermediate and short) this season. Wideouts Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler and Tim Patrick no doubt will command their share of targets, but if Fant indeed is utilized in a variety of ways, there should be enough looks for him to maintain steady fantasy utility in 2021.

Seals-Jones (leg) resumed practicing Monday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Seals-Jones suffered a leg contusion during practice last week, but he's already recovered enough to resume participating in on-field drills. Count on Seals-Jones to resume competing for a depth gig behind top tight end Logan Thomas.

Schultz has received the bulk of first-team reps in training camp as Blake Jarwin gets brought along slowly following last year's knee injury, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The split in reps between the two is likely to change as Jarwin gets fully up to speed, but for his part Schultz is having a good camp and isn't going to give up the top spot on the depth chart easily. The numbers suggest Jarwin is the better receiver of the two, but that doesn't mean he'll see more targets during the season.

Gesicki (undisclosed) was placed on the COVID-19 list Sunday.

Co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach George Godsey tested positive for the virus, per Adam Schefter of ESPN, resulting in Gesicki, Cethan Carter and Adam Shaheen landing on the COVID list as apparent close contacts. Gesicki could make a relatively quick return to the field as long as he continues to test negative for the virus. In the meantime, Durham Smythe and Hunter Long should operate as Miami's top tight ends.

Hill practiced with the second-team offense Saturday, Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

After spending the first two practices of training camp with the starting offense, Hill relegated those duties to Jameis Winston on Saturday. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Hill reportedly was much more impressive with the second stringers, specifically making on-point throws on deep passes. As coach Sean Payton previously has said that Hill and Winston will alternate practices with the top offense during training camp, it will be interesting to see if Hill can continue impressing as a downfield passer when he's back playing against the first-team defense.

Dafney is on the preseason PUP list with a knee injury, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Dafney was placed on the PUP list earlier this week, though the nature of the injury was previously undisclosed. The 24-year-old will need to pass a physical before being allowed to take the field for training camp.

Gesicki (undisclosed) isn't practicing Saturday for medical reasons, Hal Habib of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Details about Gesicki's injury remain unknown at this point, but more details will likely surface in the coming days. The starting tight end will look to get healthy before Miami kicks off preseason play Aug. 14 against the Bears.

Kelce (back) is practicing Saturday, Aaron Ladd of KSHB 41 News reports.

Kelce exited Thursday's practice with back tightness, but his return to the practice field two days later suggests the issue was minor. The star tight end is primed for another strong campaign after reaching the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past five seasons.

Kittle is already showing chemistry with rookie QB Trey Lance at training camp, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Kittle makes things easy on his quarterbacks, and he's played with a bunch of them early in his career, in part due to Jimmy Garoppolo's injury woes. Coach Kyle Shanahan has said multiple times that he views Garoppolo as his starter, but history suggests Lance -- a No. 3 overall pick -- will end up taking snaps one way or another before the end of the season. That might not be good for Kittle's receiving stats in the short term, but it'll work out for him in the long run if Lance becomes the player the Niners expect.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Pruitt (calf) will miss some time, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Pruitt, who joined the 49ers in June, looks to be competing for a depth role in San Francisco. George Kittle is unquestionably the 49ers' top tight end, and Ross Dwelley seems like the favorite for the No. 2 role. However, if he can return to practice soon, Pruitt could very well compete with Charlie Woerner and Josh Pederson for the No. 3 spot.