NFL Player News

Coach Freddie Kitchens relayed that Njoku (knee) didn't have a helmet at Monday's practice because of stitches on the back of his head, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Meanwhile, Njoku was able to do individual drills Monday, with the report adding that the tight end's knee is feeling better. There's been nothing to suggest that Njoku's Week 1 status is in any danger, but his availability for Friday's preseason game against the Bucs has yet to be clarified.

Kittle (calf) isn't slated to play in Monday's preseason game against the Broncos, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Kittle remains day-to-day with calf tightness, though the report notes that if this were the regular season, the tight end could play. Kittle's next chance to suit up for a game will arrive this coming Saturday against the Chiefs.

Smith (knee) was taken off the PUP list Monday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Limited to side work throughout training camp, Smith passed a physical and now can return to practice. It isn't clear if he'll make an appearance in the preseason or be active for Week 1, but the decision to remove him from the PUP list suggests he's expected to play at some point in September. With Delanie Walker making a full recovery from his own season-ending injury, Smith's playing time mostly will be limited to multi-TE formations.

Knox (hamstring) has returned to practice, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Jason Croom (hamstring) was also spotted at Monday's practice, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News, while Tyler Kroft (foot) did not see work in the session. Given that Kroft's early season status/workload are still up in the air, there's an opportunity for Knox to see a pass-catching role in the Bills offense out of the gate.

Njoku (knee) is going through individual drills Monday without a helmet, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

He may not be ready for full participation, but this at least shows that Njoku is making progress. He was held out of Saturday's preseason win over Indianapolis and could miss another exhibition Friday against Tampa Bay. The 23-year-old is locked in as a starter, with offseason acquisition Demetrius Harris expected to occupy the No. 2 spot at tight end.

Sweeney hauled in both of his targets for 47 yards during Friday's preseason win over the Panthers.

The rookie seventh-rounder reportedly had a good week of joint practices with the Panthers and has been making a strong impression on quarterback Josh Allen and the coaching staff. "Tommy has been fantastic," Allen told the Bills' official site. "He's answered when his number has been called. Obviously he's been forced into a lot of action with the ones. He's made some big plays for us already ... So I really appreciated what he's been doing and the results are showing." Sweeney is still behind several others on the depth chart, but with a banged-up crew ahead of him he's starting to cement a roster spot, and could be needed for a bigger role should injuries linger into the regular season.

Smith Jr. caught all five of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's preseason win over the Seahawks.

Smith Jr. continued to rack up short gains and managed to get into the end zone for the first time this preseason. The second-round pick saw most of his snaps with the second unit, and that figures to be his role early on behind stalwart Kyle Rudolph. Smith Jr. -- who has potential to be a better pass catcher than Rudolph -- was praised for his run-blocking improvement earlier this week, so a potential changing of the guard could happen if he keeps that up. The rookie will look to build on this performance during Saturday's preseason tilt against Arizona.

Dissly (knee) was able to suit up for Sunday's preseason loss to Minnesota, but he did not receive a target in limited action.

The good news is that Dissly was cleared for game action for the first time since injuring his knee last September; the downside was that the tight end was not targeted by Russell Wilson. Still, the 23-year-old was out there with the first-string offense, which bodes well for his chances to begin the season as the team's primary tight end. Dissly made some noise before going down to injury in 2018 (six receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns in Weeks 1 and 2), so there is some upside to be had, especially with Doug Baldwin's targets out of the picture.

Henry caught his only target for seven yards in Sunday's preseason loss to the Saints.

The Chargers didn't give many snaps to their first-team offense, and after Henry made a grab on the first possession he quickly made his way to the sidelines. The fourth-year tight end missed all of last season due to an ACL tear, so a restricted exhibition workload is to be expected, but with Antonio Gates having ridden off into the sunset, the path is clear for Henry to finally live up to his billing as the 35th overall pick in the 2016 draft.

Dissly (knee) is in uniform for Sunday's preseason matchup with the Vikings, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Dissly will be back on the field for the first time since Week 4 of the 2018 campaign. The 23-year-old tight end scored two touchdowns in four games as a rookie and has been turning heads in camp, so a strong performance here could go a long way for Dissly's fantasy stock.