NFL Player News

Helm was waived by the Chargers on Thursday.

Helm was waived Thursday in order to create a roster spot for newly-signed Dee Liner. He was facing an uphill battle to make the Chargers' final roster given their current depth at the tight end position.

Knox remains out with a hamstring injury, The Buffalo News reports.

A week ago, starter Tyler Kroft seemed nowhere close to returning from a broken foot while the rookie Knox was seeing almost exclusive first-team reps. Now, he's missed practice since Sunday and valuable time to be learning the pro game, while the Kroft news seems to be a bit brighter. We'll see if Knox can get back soon and pick up where he left off prior to the injury.

Orndoff inked an undisclosed contract with the Buccaneers on Wednesday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Orndoff has spent time with Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cincinnati and Jacksonville before latching on with the Buccaneers. He has never suited up in NFL action in his career, and the team released Donnie Ernsberger to make room for him on the roster.

Kroft, who is on the Bills' preseason PUP list as he recovers from a broken foot suffered during OTAs in May, has shed his walking boot, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

Coach Doug McDermott said that while Kroft is "making positive progress," there's still no timetable for the tight end's return to practice. Shedding his walking boot is definitely a step in the right direction, but Kroft -- who signed with the Bills this offseason with the expectation of starting -- is no lock to be ready to play in Week 1. With fellow tight ends Dawson Knox and Jason Croom currently tending to hamstring injuries, the team's healthy options at the position are down to Lee Smith, Tommy Sweeney, Nate Becker and Keith Towbridge.

Allen (undisclosed) was activated off the Dolphins' PUP list Wednesday, Alain Poupart of the team's official site reports.

The 29-year-old adds experience and strong blocking ability to the Dolphins' tight-end mix, but after combining for just 13 catches over the last two seasons with the Patriots, the free-agent addition needs to prove his fantasy utility within his new team context. It's worth noting that during Allen's stint with the Colts -- the team that drafted him in 2012 -- he recorded eight touchdowns in 2014 and six in 2016. Those numbers suggest that the 6-foot-4, 260-pounder could produce some in the red zone if given such opportunities by Miami.

Gathers was unable to participate during Tuesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It's unclear how he picked up the injury, but it's serious enough to hold him out of practice. Gathers is already facing a one-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, now an ankle issue will continue to pile on the negative news. The Baylor product has been slightly injury prone up to this point in his career, as he dealt with concussion symptoms throughout 2017 also.

Graham briefly left Tuesday's practice with an apparent lower leg issue but was able to return to the field, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Graham's status was left in question when it was reported he spoke with trainers and left the practice field; but it appears all is well, as he was able to make it back and did not have his name come up when head coach Matt LaFleur was asked about injuries after practice. Graham is slated to open the season as the Packers' top tight end and will no doubt be looking to make more of an impact than he did in his first season in Green Bay.

Dissly (kneecap) participated in team drills for the first time Monday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Dissly resumed running routes last week, and now takes another step forward in his recovery from a patella tendon injury that limited him to just four games as a rookie. After being held out of OTAs and minicamp, the 2018 fourth-round pick is progressing nicely.

Niklas (leg) cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve Monday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM Radio reports.

Niklas was waived with an injury designation by Tampa Bay on Sunday, but he ends up on IR after going unclaimed on waivers. The 26-year-old will remain there for the rest of the season unless he reaches an injury settlement.

Carter signed a contract with the Bills on Monday.

Carter is the now the eighth tight end on Buffalo's roster and will have a tall task to withstand roster cutdowns. The 26-year-old played in three games during his rookie campaign with the Vikings in 2017 but did not see game action last season.