NFL Player News

Tonyan likely will start the season as Green Bay's top receiving threat at tight end, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

The role widely was viewed as Jace Sternberger's to lose, and the 2019 third-round pick may have indeed fallen behind in the competition. The 26-year-old Tonyan will likely be part of a rotation at the position, with Sternberger, Josiah Deguara and Marcedes Lewis also in the mix to earn roles. Tonyan has 14 catches in 27 regular-season games for the Packers, so there hasn't been much hint of fantasy upside during his career.

Sternberger may not begin the season as Green Bay's No. 1 tight end job, with Robert Tonyan emerging as an option to serve as the Packers' top pass catcher at the position, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

A 2019 third-round pick, Sternberger barely played as rookie before scoring a touchdown in the playoffs. He looked like a dark-horse breakout candidate earlier this summer, but a stint on the reserve/COVID-19 list kept him away from the Packers for the first two and half weeks of August, and he apparently hasn't made a strong impression since returning. This doesn't mean Tonyan will handle the pass-catching role all season, but it's at least a possibility for Week 1 at Minnesota.

Head coach Vic Fangio said Fumagalli underwent a procedure and will return in "about a week," Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

According to Mike Klis of 9News, Fumagalli had a bacterial infection that stemmed from a past procedure, and this isn't expected to be a lingering issue. Heading into his third pro season, Fumagalli is having a solid training camp as a receiver, although he'll still be on the roster bubble with Noah Fant, Nick Vannett and Albert Okwuegbunam looking like locks.

Bryant was named the winner of Cleveland's 2020 Maurice Basset award for the best rookie at training camp, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

The rookie fourth-round pick has made the most of his opportunities in training camp, especially when David Njoku logged a three-day absence due to a wrist injury and Bryant was called upon to step up. New coach Kevin Stefanski stands run a substantial amount of two-tight end sets this season, so Bryant could see a respectable amount of reps despite operating behind Austin Hooper and Njoku on the depth chart. If Bryant is able to carry his momentum from camp into the regular season he could even pressure Njoku, but the Florida Atlantic product still faces a steep path to fantasy relevance as a rookie.

Coach Matt Rhule said Thomas injured his toe Monday, but the third-year tight end should return to practice "pretty soon," Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

After sustaining the injury, Thomas was sent for an MRI, which returned negative for a fracture. Instead, he's been diagnosed with a hyperextension. Expect the Panthers to exercise caution with their No. 1 tight end, especially with the season opener less than two weeks away (Sept. 13 against the Raiders).

Kroft is back at practice Tuesday after missing Monday's session due to a foot injury, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

Kroft had his foot stepped on Sunday, but fortunately for him and the Bills, it wasn't anything structural or related to his past foot problems. He'll resume his quest to try earning as much playing time as he can get in a tight end corps that will probably be led by second-year man Dawson Knox.

Okwuegbunam is playing well in training camp, the Denver Post reports.

More specifically, the article opens with a line stating, "there's a growing belief rookie Albert Okwuegbunam is a star-in-waiting." Noah Fant, a 2019 first-round pick, is the incumbent with his own substantial brand, but as a fourth-round pick Okwuegbunam boasts a lot of the same traits that made Fant so valued in the first place. Fant (6-4, 249) ran a 4.5-second 40 at the combine, yet Okwuegbunam posted a 4.49 40 at nine pounds heavier. Prior to flashing that speed, Okwuegbunam (6-5, 258) was largely written off as a red-zone specialist, so he gave reason to project eventual viability between the 20s in addition to the red zone. Fant seems too good to get displaced, especially by a rookie, but it looks like Okwuegbunam could push for meaningful snaps right away. If his emergence continues, it could at the very least give Denver reason to consider more two-TE formations than they might have planned on going into training camp.

The Ravens let Scarff go on Monday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The Ravens wanted to get to just three tight ends on their roster for the 2020 season, so Scarff was an odd man out Monday. The Delaware product will likely have to be deployed as a run-blocking tight end should he make a roster elsewhere.

Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Fumagalli is dealing with an abdominal issue, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

It's unclear how Fumagalli suffered the injury, however, Fangio reiterated Monday that it's not expected to be serious. Fumagalli missed his entire rookie season in 2018 with a sports hernia, so this news is certainly concerning. The Wisconsin product will look to get healthy before battling Albert Okwuegbunam, Jake Butt and Nick Vannett for a depth tight end role in 2020.

Stapleton suffered a fracture in his shoulder during Monday's practice, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Wilson reports that Stapleton suffered the injury diving for a pass, but the good news is that he's not expected to require surgery. The bad news for Stapleton, however, is the injury is expected to keep him sidelined for 5-to-7 weeks, setting up a Week 4 or Week 5 return at the earliest. The undrafted rookie out of James Madison had earned praise from the coaching staff during training camp to this point, after he logged 35 receptions for 426 yards and one touchdown for the Dukes in his collegiate career.