NFL Player News

Houston offensive coordinator Tim Kelly noted the improved consistency Akins has shown in preparation for his third NFL season.

Darren Fells is the expected starter at tight end with Akins part of a bunch looking to be the primary backup. "Jordan's become a more consistent player," said Kelly. "So, looking at the jump that he's made from year two to year three, he's been more consistent, has come in every day and has really made, basically, a big play a day for us as we've gone through this camp. The one thing that's shown that he's definitely improved on has been his consistency." Akins flashed as the second-string tight end in 2019 when he caught 36 passes with an 11.6 YPG and two touchdowns. Jordan Thomas, Kahale Warring and Dylan Stapleton are also in the mix.

Bryant has received practice snaps in place of the injured David Njoku (wrist), Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

Njoku is experiencing soreness in the same wrist he injured in 2019, though the issue doesn't appear to be serious at this time. Bryant has stood out in camp both with his play on the field and with his ability to grasp the offense. "He is a very locked-in young man," coach Kevin Stefanski told Scott Patsko of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He is on top of his assignments. He plays with great effort. Very pleased with where he is. He has a ton of work to do. Everything that he is doing is happening for the first time for him, but pleased with his progression." The consensus entering the regular season is that Bryant will sit behind Austin Hooper and Njoku on the depth chart, but the 2020 fourth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic could eventually push for more playing time.

Cager is set for an MRI on his swollen knee Wednesday, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

This is tough news for the Georgia product, considering he is in the mix for a roster spot heading into the 2020 season. It's unclear how Cager picked up the injury, however, he won't return to the field until he gets the full go-ahead from the training staff after his MRI.

Asiasi (foot/ankle) was able to practice in a limited fashion Wednesday, Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston reports.

Asiasi was forced out of Tuesday's practice after appearing to suffer a foot or ankle injury, but his presence on the field Wednesday indicates that the issue was minor. He and fellow 2020 third-round tight end Dalton Keene are looking to carve out roles in the New England offense as rookies, with Darren Hartwell of NBC Sports Boston noting that Asiasi had "been plenty solid in the first week of workouts" prior to his exit from Tuesday's practice. For his part, Keene has shown well in practice as well, and it's plausible that the duo will work in a timeshare out of the gate. In such a scenario, both players would be hit-or-miss fantasy options, though if either quickly emerges in the Patriots' passing game, there could be some in-season value to be found.

Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said Hooper and quarterback Baker Mayfield have established an on-field rapport during training camp, Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Hooper, who was the first free agent the Browns added during the offseason, spent some time with Mayfield before training camp in an effort to build chemistry. "The more they play together, obviously, the stronger that bond becomes," Van Pelt said. "It is those unwritten, the body language things that you can't really coach and teach, and when two guys get on that same page, and it is tough to stop." Hooper tops the tight end depth chart, and the position group as a whole should see an increase in targets in 2020.

Arnold has been the Cardinals' top receiving tight end during training camp, Kyle Odegard of the team's official site reports.

During his time in New Orleans, the undrafted wide receiver spent his rookie season in 2017 on injured reserve before switching to tight end during the 2018 offseason. That said, he recorded just 14 catches in 12 games with the Saints before they waived him last December. The Cardinals scooped Arnold up, and he struck up an instant rapport with Kyler Murray, corralling six of 10 targets for 102 yards and two touchdowns in three contests. Arnold doesn't have much competition for targets in his position group, and No. 1 TE Maxx Williams currently is tending to an undisclosed issue, which raises Arnold's profile further in Arizona's ascending offense.

Thomas was the most heavily targeted player on the first-team offense at Tuesday's practice, coming away with five catches and a touchdown, Kyle Stackpole of the official team website reports.

Thomas has built up some hype throughout training camp, with Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post supporting the notion of the 29-year-old emerging as Washington's top tight end. A two-year, $6.15 million contract may seem modest, but it's a big investment relative to what the team spent on Jeremy Sprinkle (2017 fifth-round pick), Richard Rodgers (veteran minimum contract), Hale Hentges (UDFA) and Marcus Baugh (UDFA). It seems the Washington front office saw potential in the former QB last season when he posted a 16-173-1 receiving line on 28 targets for the Lions. It may still feel like a stretch to draft Thomas in most fantasy leagues, but there's no question the Washington offense will have targets up for grabs among unproven players behind Terry McLaurin.

Asiasi left Tuesday's practice to receive medical attention on his foot and/or ankle, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal said Asiasi and fellow rookie tight end Dalton Keene both enjoyed their best practice of training camp the day prior. While fantasy contributions from rookie TEs are few and far between, the state of the New England depth chart suggests the team will need at least one of the two to handle a bunch of snaps. This injury could crack the door open for Keene, though initial reports don't hint at Asiasi's issue being too serious.

Engram has looked "as explosive as ever" during training camp, according to NJ.com's Art Stapleton.

Stapleton isn't the only beat writer to take notice of Engram, with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com confirming that the tight end was the star of Monday's practice. Coach Joe Judge and teammate Sterling Shepard also provided glowing reviews, all but confirming that Engram has shown no ill effects from the Lisfranc injury that ended his 2019 season. He's averaged at least 4.1 catches and 48.1 yards per game in each of his three pro seasons, but the combination of injuries (14 missed games) and disappointing touchdown production (12 TDs, 27 red-zone targets in 34 games) has kept Engram from a true breakout. The Giants seem to think this will be the year he finally puts it all together.

Waller has looked good in training camp, with Raiders defenders consistently struggling to cover him one-on-one, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

Waller avoided any setbacks with the thumb injury that required surgery in late December. He'll have more competition for targets after the Raiders signed Jason Witten and drafted Henry Ruggs and Bryan Edwards, but it's still Waller who has the best odds to lead the team in pass-catching volume. Even if he doesn't quite match the 117 targets he saw during his breakout 2019 campaign, Waller should be a reliable fantasy starter at tight end.