NFL Player News

Fant has been diagnosed with a torn ACL and sprained MCL and will miss the 2026 season, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Fant was injured in Monday's practice after he took a shot to the knee. He was competing for a role behind Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford at tight end in Dallas. Fant has yet to record a regular-season catch across 11 appearances.

Taylor could see more opportunities this summer after teammate Kenyon Sadiq (sports hernia) suffered a setback in his return from May surgery, ESPN.com's Rich Cimini reports.

Fantasy interest in Taylor took a cliff dive after the Jets drafted Sadiq in the first round this spring. While the rookie's presence is still a huge issue for Taylor's long-term outlook, it won't be at all surprising if the 2025 second-round pick is a Week 1 starter with a workload of 40-plus snaps. If nothing else, Taylor retains some appeal as a dynasty bench stash and an endgame pick for best ball. Streaming value for redraft is also possible, especially if Sadiq isn't ready for Week 1 or otherwise doesn't have much of a role early in the season. Jets coach Aaron Glenn did say Tuesday that he still hopes for Sadiq to be ready by Week 1.

Sanders exited Tuesday's practice with an ankle injury, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

The injuries continue to pile up for Carolina, though there hasn't been any indication Sanders is dealing with a long-term problem. Sanders has appeared in 29 regular-season contests across his first two campaigns and has produced 62 catches for 532 yards and two touchdowns on 77 targets. He's again expected to see snaps in the Panthers' three-man tight end committee that also involves Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans.

The Lions placed Firkser (leg) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Firkser was injured in Monday's practice and will now either spend the entirety of the 2026 season on the Lions' injured reserve list or be let go with an injury settlement at a later date. The veteran tight end appeared in seven regular-season games with Detroit last season, securing eight of 10 targets for 53 scoreless yards.

The Lions signed Horton on Tuesday.

The 23-year-old tight end takes the roster spot of Anthony Firkser, who was placed on injured reserve with a leg injury. Horton appeared in two regular-season games with Detroit last season, logging 11 offensive snaps. He should be considered a long shot to make the 53-man roster.

Coach Aaron Glenn noted Tuesday that he's "very confident" Sadiq (abdomen) will be ready for Week 1 action, Al Iannazzone of Newsday reports.

Though the tight end suffered a setback in his recovery from the hernia surgery he underwent in the spring and will miss some time, it doesn't look like his absence will extend into the regular season. While the 2026 first-rounder is unable to practice, added TE reps behind Mason Taylor will be available for Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods and Chase Curtis.

Mayer (nose) isn't practicing Tuesday, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Mayer suffered a nose injury during Monday's practice, and while coach Klint Kubiak noted afterward that the tight end should be fine, he's not in uniform for Tuesday's session. Mayer thus falls into the day-to-day category in advance of the Raiders' Aug 13 preseason opener against the Cardinals.

Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said Tuesday that Sadiq suffered a setback in his recovery from the hernia surgery he underwent in the spring and will be "out for a little bit," Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Sadiq took part in the first three days of training camp, but after he wasn't present for a second straight practice Tuesday, Glenn said prior to the workout that the rookie first-round pick was on a "maintenance program," per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. However, Glenn acknowledged after practice that Sadiq's consecutive absences weren't simply for rest purposes, and the 21-year-old now looks like he'll be out for the start of the preseason after not bouncing back from his hernia surgery as well as the Jets had hoped. According to Rosenblatt, Glenn added that he's not worried about a long-term absence for Sadiq and is "very confident" that the young tight end will be ready to go for Week 1. In any event, the missed practice time during training camp is likely to hurt Sadiq's chances of carving out a major role on offense once the season gets underway. Mason Taylor should receive most of the reps at tight end with the first-team offense while Sadiq is sidelined.

Dulcich is considered day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley suggested that Dulich could return for next week's joint practices with the Commanders. It thus sounds like the tight end will miss the rest of this week, but he's still well on his way to a role as Miami's top pass catcher at his position. Dulcich does have a worrisome history of hamstring injuries, so it'll be worth a closer look if the current problem turns out to be related. For now, the Dolphins consider him day-to-day.

The Rams are giving Allen (quadriceps) "some time" before he returns to practice, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Coach Sean McVay said that due to the soft-tissue nature of the injury, they do not want to rush Allen back. The tight end was a prominent part of the Rams' 13-personnel offense during the 2025 season, drawing 33 targets for 24 receptions, 208 yards and three touchdowns over 17 regular-season games. The 25-year-old was also a prominent member of the trenches in the McVay scheme, logging additional offensive and special teams snaps that helped lead the team to its 12-5 record. Now in a contract year, when Allen does return, he is set to become a consistent contributor for the 2026 Rams.