NFL Player News

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.

The Broncos have parted ways Jeff Heuerman, Brandon Krisztal of KOA News Radio reports. The move leaves Vannett as the veteran in the Broncos' tight-end room.

Heuerman's exit seemed inevitable back in March as Vannett's signing tied up a fair amount of money in two reserve tight ends. Cutting Heuerman had less cap repercussions. Vannett is a good bet to make the roster as a TE2 or TE3, but he is unlikely to be a big factor fantasy-wise. Both 2019 first-round pick Noah Fant and 2020 fourth-rounder Albert Okwuegbunam figure to be more involved in the passing game than the veteran, who is the superior blocker.

Engram (foot) has been out on the field doing work, but coach Joe Judge suggested he isn't sure if the tight end will be a full go at the start of training camp, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports.

Engram downplayed the severity of his Lisfranc injury back in December after surgery, and he's been doing full-speed agility work since at least last June. Judge's uncertainty about the situation doesn't necessarily mean the tight end will have any limitations, but it will be worth keeping an eye on once the Giants start for practicing for real in mid-August. The Giants chose to keep Engram off the PUP list, making him eligible for all activities.