NFL Player News

Hurst (foot) has been ruled out for Thursday's game in Cincinnati, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Hurst was always expected to miss at least two games after having surgery Aug. 24 to address a stress fracture in his foot. He's likely targeting a return in Week 3 or 4, at which point he would enter a timeshare at tight end. Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams and Mark Andrews had three receptions apiece in Sunday's 47-3 win over the Bills.

Andrews caught three of four targets for 31 yards in Sunday's win over the Bills.

Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams are more polished blockers than Andrews, which helps explain why Andrews was third among Baltimore tight ends in snaps Sunday. However, Andrews' pass-catching ability actually got him on the field and involved in the aerial attack in the first quarter of his NFL debut. He did well with his opportunities, snagging three of four targets and averaging 7.8 yards per target. He'll likely remain behind Boyle and Williams for the time being in terms of snaps, but Andrews' pass catching and route running will earn him a small role nonetheless.

Hurst (foot) was a non-participant in Tuesday's practice.

Hurst doesn't have a real shot to play against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football, given that he'll need at least another week to recover from the minor procedure he underwent in the offseason. The first-round rookie should be working toward a regular-season debut in Week 3 or Week 4. Mark Andrews and Maxx Williams both showed well in Hurst's absence in the season opener, so Hurst could see competition for snaps when he does return.

Vannett is listed as the Seahawks' second-team tight end on the team's unofficial depth chart for Week 2, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Though Vannett received the start at tight end in Seattle's Week 1 loss to Denver, he essentially split duties with Will Dissly, logging 35 snaps to the rookie's 33. The greater disparity came in their receiving lines, however, as Vannett drew only two targets -- catching one pass for 11 yards -- while Dissly went wild with three receptions for 105 yards and a score on five targets. That was apparently enough for Vannett to plummet behind Dissly on the depth chart, with a lighter snap count likely headed his way Monday in Chicago as a result of the demotion.

Dissly is listed as the Seahawks' first-team tight end on the team's unofficial depth chart for its Week 2 game against the Bears, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Dissly, a fourth-round rookie out of Washington, was surprisingly active in the passing game in his NFL debut in Sunday's 27-24 loss to the Broncos. Despite playing behind starting tight end Nick Vannett, Dissly drew five targets on the day, hauling in three of them for 105 yards and a score. That production allowed the rookie to leapfrog Vannett on the depth chart ahead of Week 2, making Dissly one of the more intriguing options at his position who might still be available on the waiver wire outside of deep formats. Given that Dissly was lauded mainly for his skills as a blocker coming out of college, it's difficult to envision him becoming a consistent week-to-week contributor, but the promise of an enhanced snap count at least makes him worth tracking.

Tomlinson caught his only target for seven yards in Monday's 48-17, Week 1 win over the Lions.

Blocking is Tomlinson's forte, so it's not surprising that he wasn't very heavily involved in the offense. He played 29 of a possible 60 snaps, ranking third among Jets tight ends behind Neal Sterling (40) and rookie Chris Herndon (34).

Thomas is likely to serve as the Panthers' primary tight end with Greg Olsen (foot) expected to be sidelined for at least a month, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Chris Manhertz also lingers as an experienced reserve option at tight end, and the Panthers will most likely add depth to the position group via signing or trade, but Thomas, a rookie fourth-round pick from Indiana, should get the first crack at replacing Olsen thanks to the upside he offers as a pass catcher. Though the 22-year-old was considered raw heading into the 2018 NFL Draft, he offers quality athleticism at the position and already drew a couple looks from quarterback Cam Newton in the season-opening win over the Cowboys, corralling both of his targets and gaining four yards. Head coach Ron Rivera seemed confident Monday in Thomas' ability to fill in for Olsen, stating that the rookie "has been prepared for this moment" while praising his development as a blocker and route runner, according to Brendan Marks of The Charlotte Observer.

Higbee played 60 of 63 offensive snaps but didn't receive a target during Monday's 33-13 win over the Raiders.

With Higbee's fantasy value already minimal, it was discouraging to see him uninvolved in the passing attack in Week 1. Still, he played 95 percent of the offensive snaps, so he clearly created separation between himself and second-year tight end Gerald Everett over the offseason. Everett did miss the majority of training camp and the entire preseason with an unspecified shoulder injury and likely still projects to be the superior receiver long-term, though. Additionally, with workhorse back Todd Gurley and three excellent receivers (Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp) all heavily involved in the offense, there probably won't be many targets left over for Higbee or Everett.

Kroft had just one catch for nine yards on his only target in Sunday's win over the Colts.

With Tyler Eifert on the field, Kroft saw just 17 offensive snaps against the Colts. This might not be an anomaly either. Eifert is clearly the top tight end option on the team when healthy, and the Bengals now have three viable wideouts.

Thomas caught one of two targets for 24 yards in Sunday's game against the Ravens, the team's longest pass play in a forgettable 47-3 loss.

Thomas appears to be sharing No. 2 tight end duties with Jason Croom behind Charles Clay, as both players saw the field for 18 offensive plays (28 percent) to Clay's 40 (62 percent). Clay has fought a balky knee among other issues for several seasons, so the situation between Thomas and Croom (both players have decent pass-catching ability) is worth watching in the event their senior teammate goes down for any length of time in 2018.