NFL Player News

Hurst will be an "every-down tight end" for the Falcons this year, Kelsey Conway of the team's official site reports.

The former Pirates minor leaguer may not have made a dramatic offensive impact during his two-year tenure with the Ravens, but now he is expected to see opportunities abound with Austin Hooper and his 97 targets from last season shipping out to Cleveland. Buried behind Mark Andrews on the depth chart in Baltimore, Hurst only recorded 43 catches across 28 appearances. General manager Thomas Dimitroff did, however, invest a second-round draft choice to acquire Hurst, indicating that the Falcons remain fond of his potential.

The Colts activated Alie-Cox (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Friday.

It's still unclear what Alie-Cox was dealing with, but the 26-year-old tight end will rejoin the team and start preparing for the 2020 season. The Colts let Eric Ebron walk in free agency but brought in Trey Burton, so Alie-Cox is slated to be the No. 3 tight end again this year.

Goedert reportedly has a hairline fracture in one of his thumbs, Daniel Gallen of The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports.

The good news is that the tight end may be able return to practice next week, possibly sporting a splint on his injured thumb at that time. Fellow tight end Zach Ertz (upper body) is day-to-day himself, leaving extra practice reps for Josh Perkins, Noah Togiai and Caleb Wilson.

Ertz is day to day with an upper-body injury, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Eagles are either experiencing terrible injury luck or taking a conservative approach with any players experiencing soreness. They've had a slew of players miss practice time this week, including fellow tight end Dallas Goedert (upper body) and running backs Miles Sanders (lower body) and Boston Scott (lower body). There hasn't been any indication Ertz's injury is serious.

Thomas and Marcus Baugh worked with pass catchers during individual drills at Thursday's practice, while the other Washington tight ends were put in blocking drills, Sam Fortier of The Washington Post reports.

Signed to a two-year, $6.2 million contract this offseason, Thomas is gearing up for a significant role in the Washington offense, perhaps becoming a starter for the first time in his age-29 season. That said, he won't necessarily handle a three-down role, and his new team is a good bet to land near the bottom of the league in cumulative TE targets. Thomas is an easy choice for fantasy managers interested in a Washington tight end, but in most cases the better option is to avoid the mess altogether.

Oliver (foot) won't be eligible to return from injured reserve, John Reid of The Florida Times-Union reports.

If the Jaguars wanted Oliver to be eligible to return, they would've had to wait until Sept. 6 to place him on injured reserve. As is, the 2019 third-round pick will miss the entire 2020 campaign while he recovers from surgery on a broken foot. Oliver missed 12 games last year with hamstring and back injuries, so his luck couldn't be much worse through two pro seasons. Meanwhile, Tyler Eifert is left with light competition for TE targets in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars placed Oliver (foot) on injured reserve Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Oliver is scheduled to have surgery on a broken foot and can now be ruled out for the entire 2020 season. The 2019 third-round pick missed the first six games of his rookie campaign with a hamstring injury and the final six games with a fracture in his back, limiting him to four appearances. With Oliver out of the picture, Tyler Eifert doesn't have much competition for targets at tight end.

It's unclear how Dwelley will be used with the signing of Jordan Reed this offseason.

Dwelley proved effective as both a blocker and backup tight end behind George Kittle in 2019, finishing with 91 yards and two scores on 15 receptions. The signing of Reed complicates the 25-year-old's role heading into the 2020 campaign. Dwelley is a superior run blocker, which could keep him on the field in certain heavy packages, but if Reed can stay on the field (a big "if"), then Dwelley will see his already low target share reduced even further.

The Titans cut Hesse on Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Hesse also spent the 2019 offseason in Tennessee, but ultimately failed to make the 53-man roster. He'll be free to search for a shot at a depth role elsewhere.

Bryant caught a pair of touchdown passes during drills Wednesday, Dan Labbe of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns are giving Bryant a good look early in camp, and he's setting himself up for longer looks as camp wears on. The 2019 John Mackey Award winner can play off the line, something he did often at Florida Atlantic and the Browns want to do with their tight ends. Bryant's currently third on the depth chart but will be pushing David Njoku in camp.