NFL Player News

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.

The Buccaneers waived Niklas (leg) with an injury designation Sunday, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

The veteran tight end reunited with former Cards coach Bruce Arians on the eve of training camp, but he sustained a leg injury in Friday's opening practice. After he was unable to return to the field over the weekend, Niklas was a natural candidate for release when the team needed a roster spot to ink Vincent Testaverde as an extra training camp arm. Injuries contained Niklas to just 19 receptions for 203 yards and three touchdowns in Arizona between 2014 and 2017.

Goedert has made a number of plays and seen increased reps so far in camp, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The Eagles seem to be emphasizing two-TE formations more this preseason and are getting the ball in his hands close to the line of scrimmage. After a solid spring, Goedert has continued to make plays early in camp. If his role continues to grow, he could have value beyond being merely Zach Ertz's handcuff.

Knox did not practice Sunday due to a hamstring injury, The Buffalo News reports.

With presumed starter Tyler Kroft nowhere near a return from a broken foot and Lee Smith predominantly a blocker, Knox appears to be the current leader for Week 1 fantasy production. As a rookie, however, he needs to be practicing as much as possible, so we'll see if this is minor when the Bills return to practice Tuesday.

Hockenson has made a strong first impression during the opening days of training camp, Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports.

Hockenson reportedly drew a standing ovation from the crowd after a practice in which he made numerous eyebrow-raising catches in traffic. While we need to keep in mind that the pads have yet to come on, Hockenson has been drawing these kinds of reviews since he came to Detroit and he seems to be on track for a significant role in the Lions passing game. His primary competition for snaps, Jesse James, is reportedly being positioned as the team's primary blocking tight end.

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield has high hopes for Njoku in 2019, Steve Doerschuk of The Canton Repository reports. "The sky is the limit for [Njoku]," said Mayfield. "He hasn't had a lot of coaching and hasn't been playing that long. You can see how athletic he is, how talented."

There's no shortage of target competition in Cleveland, but the wealth of talent should also create more touchdowns to go around compared to Njoku's first two seasons in the league. The 2017 first-round pick took a step forward in terms of efficiency after the team fired Hue Jackson and Todd Haley last season, catching 25 of 37 targets for 342 yards (9.2) and two touchdowns over the final eight games. Njoku had fewer yards (297) on more targets (51) in his first eight games, though part of the problem was a slow start with Tyrod Taylor under center. It doesn't hurt that the 23-year-old tight end appears to be on Mayfield's good side already.