NFL Player News

Derby (foot) wasn't in attendance for Wednesday's practice, Chris Perkins of The Athletic reports.

Derby will thus be listed as a non-participant in the Dolphins' first practice session of the week, thereby clouding his availability for Sunday's game in Cincinnati. The foot injury prevented Derby from suiting up in the Week 4 loss to the Patriots, paving the way for rookie Mike Gesicki to start at tight end and play 41 of a possible 49 offensive snaps. Gesicki wasn't able to do much with the heightened workload, however, finishing with one catch for nine yards on two targets.

Smith was targeted twice but did not record a catch during Sunday's 26-23 win over the Eagles.

Smith continues to struggle filling in for Delanie Walker, a favorite target of Marcus Mariota. The Titans have, instead, concentrated their attention toward receivers Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor, plus running back Dion Lewis, who collectively account for 63.7 percent of the team's targets. Smith is only in his second year and has an opportunity to shine against a bottom-10 Buffalo defense in Week 5, but don't pay him much attention until he shows some evidence of improvement and a larger role in the offense.

Njoku caught five of seven targets for 52 yards during Sunday's 45-42 loss to the Raiders.

It's no surprise Njoku had his best game of the season during Baker Mayfield's first career start. Mayfield is capable of opening up the passing game significantly more than Tyrod Taylor (back), and that clearly aided Njoku, who posted season highs in receptions and yards. The second-year tight end will look to keep it going Sunday against the Ravens.

Dissly (kneecap) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Dissly will miss the remainder of the 2018 season due to a patella tendon injury. The rookie will turn his focus toward recovery and will work toward potentially retaking the field Week 1 of next season. Heading into Sunday's game against the Rams, expect Nick Vannett to serve as Seattle's No. 1 tight end option.

Kroft is in line to play more often now that Tyler Eifert (leg) is out for the season, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports. Kroft only has four catches on five targets through the first four games this season and was shut out Sunday against the Falcons.

As Kroft's Week 4 stat line might indicate, it's not a given that Kroft will be the next man up in the wake of Eifert's injury. That could pivot to C.J. Uzomah instead. Uzomah has more catches, targets and offensive snaps than Kroft this season, though that dynamic could change now that Eifert is out as the starter.

Goedert caught both of his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 26-23 loss to the Titans.

Goedert didn't see any looks from Carson Wentz until the opening drive of the second half, when the rookie suddenly saw three in a row, one of which wouldn't count since he drew a pass interference call on the Titans' Kevin Byard. After the South Dakota State product played 55 snaps and hauled in his first career touchdown in Week 3, seeing just 31 offensive plays this time around classifies as a disappointment for the 23-year-old, especially after the Eagles had stated they would continue to deploy more two-tight-end sets even in Alshon Jeffery's return. Goedert will now look to rebound at home Week 5 against the Vikings.

Kelce caught seven of 12 targets for 78 yards and a touchdown in Monday night's 27-23 win over the Broncos.

Kelce paced Kansas City in receiving yards and scored the team's lone touchdown through the air with a two-yard plunge during the fourth quarter. The Pro Bowler has now finished with at least seven catches in three straight games, a span in which he's topped 75 yards each week while scoring three times. Clearly on a roll with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Kelce and the Chiefs' passing attack will now look forward to testing their strength against the stingy Jaguars secondary Week 5.

Seals-Jones posted two catches (on four targets) for a team-high 52 yards during Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Seahawks.

Seals-Jones wasn't even targeted until the waning minutes of the third quarter, but a 31-yard reception early in the fourth jump-started an eventual touchdown drive, and he later was on the receiving end of a beautifully-placed ball down the left sideline from Josh Rosen for a 21-yard gain. Prior to Sunday's game, Seals-Jones led Cardinals skill-position players with an offensive snap share of 91.2 percent. With an ever healthier Jermaine Gresham taking on 33 of 60 snaps on offense Sunday, Seals-Jones managed to earn just 39, good for 65 percent. Considering Gresham is more adept as a pass blocker, Sunday's breakdown of TE reps may be the reality moving forward with a rookie signal-caller under center, potentially capping Seals-Jones' output.

Coach Pete Carroll said Dissly (knee) will undergo surgery this week and be sidelined for the rest of the season, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Once he was diagnosed with a patella tendon injury, Dissly was more or less a candidate to miss the remainder of his rookie campaign. He likely will focus on his recovery effort for approximately the next year, potentially impacting his ability to take the field Week 1 of next season. With just one healthy tight end (Nick Vannett) on the 53-man roster, the Seahawks will almost certainly bolster the position as they await Ed Dickson's (quad, groin) activation from the non-football injury list, which can take place as early as Week 7.

Smythe failed to catch his only target during the Dolphins' 38-7 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Smythe played only two offensive snaps Sunday, ceding the vast majority of Miami's tight end workload to rookie Mike Gesicki. Even if A.J. Derby (foot) remains sidelined for a significant amount of time, it's unlikely that Smythe will carve out a notable role in the Dolphins offense.