NFL Player News

Kelce (ankle) is on track to return to action during training camp, Blair Kerkhoff of The Kansas City Star reports.

A spectator throughout the offseason program, Kelce will be about six months removed from ankle surgery when the Chiefs open training camp in late July. He downplayed the severity of his procedure, referring to it as a "clean-up" one during an April interview. The 29-year-old hasn't missed a game for medical reasons since a knee injury wiped out his rookie campaign in 2013.

Dissly (kneecap) is on schedule in his recovery and could be a full go a few weeks into training camp, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

This is positive news for a player whose training camp availability was murky at best. Dissly was able to resume running May 1 and seems to be staying on track with his recovery from a torn patellar tendon. Expect the team to give out a much more definitive timetable for the tight end's return once training camp nears. A healthy Dissly will need to recover in full to also hold off Nick Vannett and Ed Dickson for snaps this season.

Engram has been sidelined during offseason workouts due to a minor hamstring injury, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Head coach Pat Shurmur and the Giants don't appear overly concerned with Engram's health; they are just being cautious with the tight end after he dealt with a hamstring injury for most of last season. Shurmur said Tuesday that they are being "smart" with Engram, but the expectation is that he will be good to go by the time training camp rolls around.

McKever was claimed by the Packers on Monday, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

McKever was waived by the Jaguars last week, but it didn't take him long to find a new home. The tight end was signed by the Steelers last year as an undrafted free agent out of North Carolina State. The Packers now have six tight ends on their roster.

Head coach Dan Quinn said that Hooper (ankle) will not partake in mandatory minicamp this week, but he will be a "full go" for training camp this summer, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

Hooper's absence from minicamp stands as a precautionary measure, with the team aiming to avoid unnecessary risk to his recently tweaked ankle. The indication from coach Quinn is that the issue is minor, and the fourth-year tight end should be fully healthy by the time team activities begin ramping back up in July. So long as he is operating near 100 percent, Hooper is likely to remain a viable starter in fantasy. Working within one of the NFL's most potent passing attacks last season, he finished tied for seventh among tight ends with 13 red-zone targets.

McKever was waived by the Jaguars on Friday, Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union reports.

McKever originally signed a reserve/future contract with the Jaguars back in late December. He was waived Friday to create a roster spot for offensive lineman Andrew Lauderdale, who was claimed off waivers by the team.

Parham signed with the Redskins on Friday.

Parham was most recently let go by the Lions after just two days, but he will now have an opportunity to work with the Redskins during their offseason activities. Parham is a 6-foot-8 undrafted rookie tight end out of Stetson.

Hurst missed Thursday's practice with a minor hamstring injury, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official website reports.

Coach John Harbaugh expects Hurst to return for mandatory minicamp next week. The 2018 first-round pick claims to have added 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason, presumably hoping to challenge Nick Boyle for snaps on early downs. Regardless, fellow second-year pro Mark Andrews should be locked in as Baltimore's top receiver at the position after producing 552 yards on 50 targets last season. Andrews was the only Baltimore pass catcher to find any success playing with Lamar Jackson.

Garner (knee) was waived by the Redskins on Thursday.

Garner was still dealing with his recovery from an ACL injury when he was held out of OTAs, which is likely a reason for his release. The move could also point to the idea that the 27-year-old has not progressed well enough in his rehab. Regardless, the Redskins already had five other tight ends fighting for reps on their 90-man roster and Garner only has one career appearance in a regular-season NFL game under his belt.

Smith (knee) was seen running after practice Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Smith is on the mend from a sprained MCL and it doesn't sound like he's been very involved in the Titans' offseason program. While Thursday marks the last day of OTAs, Smith will have a chance to participate in drills during mandatory minicamp June 11-13. Even if he doesn't, the third-year pro at least seems to be trending in the right direction in advance of training camp.