NFL Player News

Gesicki (undisclosed) returned to practice Tuesday, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Gesicki sat out Saturday's practice session due to an undisclosed issue, but he appears to have gotten the all-clear for Sept. 13's season opener against New England. The third-year pro was listed as the No. 2 tight end behind Durham Smythe on Miami's first unofficial depth chart, per Wolfe, but Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post notes that Gesicki nonetheless remains locked in to the majority of receiving work at the position. Gesicki put together a late-season breakout in 2019 and concluded the campaign with 51 catches for 570 yards and five touchdowns, while Smythe has never managed 100 receiving yards in a single season. As such, Smythe's position atop the depth chart primarily seems like a hint that he could be in line for a heavy blocking workload Week 1.

Miami listed Smythe as its top tight end on the unofficial depth chart the team released Monday, Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post reports.

Miami's decision to list Smythe as the No. 1 option on the depth chart perhaps hints that new offensive coordinator is placing a greater emphasis on blocking from the tight-end position. If that's indeed the case, it would spell bad news for Mike Gesicki, who broke out late in 2019 to finish his second season with 51 receptions for 570 yards and five touchdowns. While Gesicki remains entrenched as Miami's clear top pass-catching tight end, he could notice a decline in his overall snap count if the Dolphins choose to feature Smythe more in less obvious passing scenarios. Conversely, Smythe could see a boost in his overall target total simply by being on the field more often, but he's still unlikely to see nearly enough volume to emerge as a viable fantasy option.

Lewis is listed as the starting tight end on the unofficial depth chart released by the Packers on Monday night.

The Packers have four tight ends who could see the field, but the veteran Lewis gets the honor of opening the 2020 campaign atop the depth chart. Lewis was credited with 11 starts a year ago but caught only 15 passes, so don't assume his standing means he will play a fantasy-friendly role. He does figure to see plenty of snaps, though, given his run-blocking prowess.

Gesicki is listed as the No. 2 tight end behind Durham Smythe on Miami's first unofficial depth chart, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports.

Gesicki remains in line to handle the majority of receiving work at tight end for Miami, but his position on the first unofficial depth chart of the season could be an indication that the team intends to utilize Smythe heavily as a blocker during Sept. 13's season opener against the Patriots. During last season's Week 17 finale against New England, Gesicki had four catches for 34 yards and a score. With DeVante Parker expected to be shadowed again by Stephon Gilmore, Gesicki could once more be in line to see beneficial matchups.

The Vikings waived Dillon on Saturday and signed him to the practice squad Sunday, the Kokomo Tribune reports.

Dillon saw playing time during a sole contest in 2019 and otherwise also spent time on the Vikings' practice squad. He'll get the benefit of another opportunity to develop with the team.

Kelce (knee) was limited in practice Monday.

Kelce has dealt with the occasional knee injury during his seven-year career, sitting out most of his rookie season after undergoing arthroscopic surgery and missing some preseason action in 2017, while having his practice reps limited in January during the Chiefs' Super Bowl run. On a positive note, he was able to get in some work Monday, but his status bears watching as Thursday's game against the Texans approaches.

Coach Matt Rhule believes Thomas (toe) will be available Week 1 versus the Raiders, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

One week removed from injuring his toe last Monday, Thomas may not be back on the field just yet, meaning Wednesday's practice will have some bearing on his ability to suit up in the opener. He doesn't have much competition for targets from position mates Chris Manhertz and Colin Thompson, but Thomas likely won't be higher than fourth in the pecking order within the Panthers offense behind Christian McCaffrey, D.J. Moore and Robby Anderson.

Thompson re-signed with the Panthers on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The Panther waived Saturday but brought him back to round out their 53-man roster. He's locked in as the team's No. 3 tight end for now, and he could be in line for his NFL debut Sunday versus the Raiders. Depending on Ian Thomas' toe injury, Thompson could log a decent snap share as well.

Graham is expected the be used in a pass-catching role as the Bears' No. 1 tight end, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-TImes reports.

After signing Graham to a two-year, $16 million contract in March, the Bears went ahead and selected Cole Kmet in the second round of April's draft. GM Ryan Pace quickly clarified that Graham will be the main pass catcher of the two while Kmet gets his NFL footing in a run-blocking role. It won't be a zero-sum game, though, as coach Matt Nagy plans to increase the team's usage of 12 personnel (two tight ends) with Graham playing out of the slot at times. The 33-year-old Graham has a lot to prove this season after falling short of expectations in Green Bay, but he could endure similar inconsistencies with Mitchell Trubisky under center.

Pinkney signed with the Falcons' practice squad Sunday, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Pinkney enjoyed a breakout junior campaign in which he racked up 50 receptions for 774 yards and seven touchdowns, but otherwise he never exceeded 22 catches, 280 receiving yards or three touchdowns in any of his other three collegiate seasons for Vanderbilt. The Falcons noted Pinkney's upside and quickly signed him to an undrafted free agent contract following April's draft, but ultimately, the team elects to go with Hayden Hurst, Jaeden Graham and Luke Stocker as its Week 1 options at tight end. For now, the 6-foot-4 Pinkney will continue his NFL journey as a developmental option for a Falcons team that has a proven propensity to promote players from within (just ask current defensive captain and former practice-squad member, Ricardo Allen).