NFL Player News

The Browns waived Wieting on Sunday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The cut of Wieting is the corresponding move for the signing of guard Michael Dunn, who joins the Browns after three different guards decided to opt out of the season. Wieting, an undrafted rookie, will seek a chance with another organization.

The Washington Football Team activated Thomas (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Sunday.

When Thomas signed on the dotted line back in March, he joined a team devoid of depth at tight end, with Jordan Reed moving on after frequent concussions and Vernon Davis opting to retire. Aside from Thomas, the group currently includes Jeremy Sprinkle, Richard Rodgers and undrafted rookie Thaddeus Moss (foot), among others. That said, Thomas' start to camp was delayed due to his stay on the COVID list. Now cleared for action, he's coming off a 2019 campaign with the Lions in which he posted a 16-173-1 line on 28 targets.

Brown (foot) was removed from the active/PUP list Saturday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Brown's stay on the PUP list lasted just over one week as the reserve tight end passed his physical. The 26-year-old will need to string together an impressive training camp in order to earn a roster spot, particularly with Austin Hooper, David Njoku and Harrison Bryant locked in atop the positional group.

Hockenson was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

This means Hockenson cleared multiple physicals as well as tests in order to be reinstated from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Hockenson, Kenny Golladay and a number of other Lions have been removed from the list in recent days, setting the stage for each player to return to practice.

The Raiders waived Butler on Monday.

Butler spent the offseason bouncing on and off Las Vegas' roster, but he ultimately wasn't able to garner a depth role in the team's crowded tight end corps. The 27-year-old still has yet to see regular-season action in his career.

The Seahawks placed Parkinson (foot) on the active/non-football injury list Monday, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Parkinson is recovering from a broken fifth metatarsal in his foot suffered back in June. The rookie fourth-round pick will integrate himself into a crowded tight end room when healthy, so the Seahawks could feel comfortable enough to take a cautious approach with his recovery.

Saubert was cleared from the reserve/COVID-19 list Monday.

It appears Saubert never tested positive for COVID-19, but was rather potentially exposed to it. Now that he's been cleared, he'll enter camp looking to make an impression, as the Bears are already relatively deep at tight end.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed Monday that Dissly (Achilles) passed his physical, but the tight end is still expected to be eased along carefully during training camp, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Though Carroll has been encouraged by how Dissly has fared in his recovery from the torn Achilles' tendon he suffered nine months earlier, the Seahawks aren't inclined to rush the 24-year-old while he returns from his second major lower-body injury in as many years. Perhaps due to a lack of confidence in how Dissly's comeback effort might play out, the Seahawks pumped significant resources into their tight-end room this offseason by signing veteran Greg Olsen, re-signing Cody Hollister and Luke Willson, and spending a fourth-round pick on Colby Parkinson. Even if Dissly gains clearance for Week 1, he's probably looking at a timeshare at the position with Olsen in a best-case scenario.

Moreau (knee) has been a full participant throughout the early portion of training camp, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Moreau is coming off a season-ending knee injury that limited him to 13 games as a rookie, but he looks on track to kick off Week 1 of the 2020 campaign unimpeded. The LSU product managed to put together an impressive rookie season despite operating as a depth option for the Raiders, hauling in 21 catches for 174 yards and five scores. The added veteran presence of Jason Witten, however, now means that Moreau's sophomore opportunities will be limited to what snaps he's able to earn in a No. 3 capacity.

Njoku rescinded his trade request Saturday tweeting, "I'm all in Cleveland. Time to work," Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

It hardly made sense, at least from the Browns' perspective, to give into the 2017 first-round pick's demands, particularly heading into a 2020 campaign with an offense that is expected to heavily feature two tight-end sets. While Njoku will be hard-pressed to see the same sort of playing time he received in both 2017 and 2018 sitting behind star offseason acquisition Austin Hooper, the expected reliance on multiple tight ends comes from head coach Kevin Stefanski, who operated with that same sort of system in Minnesota last season. Irv Smith, who operated as the No. 2 TE with the Vikings in 2019 behind Kyle Rudolph, managed to total 36 receptions and 311 yards off 620 offensive snaps, numbers that would easily set up Njoku for a favorable offseason market if he opted not to re-sign with the Browns following the conclusion of this season.