NFL Player News

Coach Kyle Shanahan expects Kittle (hamstring) to return to practice this week, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

A tight hamstring has kept Kittle of the field since Wednesday. Testing hasn't revealed a strain, so the decision appears to be a precaution to make sure the tight end reaches Week 1 in one piece.

Kroft had his foot stepped on during Sunday's practice and is missing Monday's session, Thad Brown of WROC in Rochester reports.

Normally this might not be a big deal, but Kroft has had major lower leg issues in the past. There's no word yet if this injury is to the same foot that caused Kroft to miss five games last season when he broke it in his first practice as a Bill. Kroft is battling second-year tight end Dawson Kroft for playing time.

Njoku (wrist) participated in full-team drills Sunday for the first time in more than a week, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku made an instant splash with a 64-yard gain on a pass from backup quarterback Case Keenum. It sounds like the tight end should be ready for Week 1, but it still isn't ideal that he's been bothered by soreness in the same wrist he broke last September. Njoku's role behind Austin Hooper isn't likely to produce a ton of targets even if it proves to be pivotal for the Cleveland offense as a unit.

Kittle (hamstring) was held out of practice over the weekend, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kittle has been bothered by a tight hamstring since Wednesday, but tests haven't revealed a muscle pull or strain. It sounds like the type of thing he'd play through during the regular season, and there hasn't been any indication he's in danger of missing Week 1 against the Cardinals. We'll start to increase the level of concern if he doesn't make it back to practice this week.

Gray is signing with the 49ers, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Gray will compete for a depth role in a crowded tight end room that also includes Jordan Reed and Ross Dwelley (foot) behind clear-cut starter George Kittle (hamstring). The 30-year-old Gray hasn't played in the NFL since suffering an Achilles injury prior to the 2018 season.

Cager (knee) did not practice Saturday, Connor Hughes of The Athletic reports.

It's unclear what the result of Cager's recent MRI yielded, but we at least know for certain the undrafted free-agent rookie is not practicing Saturday. It's a critical distinction given a number of other Jets wideouts are also missing time due to various injuries.

Coach Kyle Shanahan relayed Friday that tests on Kittle's hamstring didn't reveal a strain or pull and that the tight end is merely dealing with some tightness, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

That's in line with Shanahan's previous comments indicating that that Kittle's removal from practice Wednesday was for precautionary reasons. At this time there's no reason to think the star tight end's Week 1 status is in any peril.

Kittle (hamstring) didn't practice Friday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

The star tight end left Wednesday's practice with what was described as hamstring tightness. Afterward, coach Kyle Shanahan suggested that Kittle's removal was for precautionary measures. For now, we'll consider the 49ers' top pass catcher day-to-day.

Dwelley (foot) is considered day-to-day, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers are also currently without top tight end George Kittle (hamstring) at practices, leaving Jordan Reed as the de facto top option for reps. When healthy, Dwelley stands to compete with Reed for leftover snaps behind Kittle. The 25-year-old primarily operates as a run blocker.

Keene has "made up a lot of ground recently" on his fellow rookie tight end, Devin Asiasi, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Asiasi, the team's other rookie third-round tight end, has been limited by a foot/ankle issue over the past few days, which has afforded Keene some added opportunities in practice. The Virginia Tech product's versatility figures to be an asset in the Patriots offense, but we'd expect him to share snaps and targets with Asiasi out of the gate in 2020, a context that initially limits the duo's fantasy lineup reliability.