NFL Player News

Gesicki received his most extensive first-team work Sunday and excelled as a pass catcher, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Gesicki lined up alongside fellow tight end MarQueis Gray with the starters, catching a pair of touchdowns. The former Penn State star dominated the combine, posting elite numbers in each event to pair with his substantial college production. The second-round rookie has looked "exactly as advertised" as a receiver, according to tight ends coach Shane Day, who also praised Gesicki's growth as a blocker. "I'm very pleased with his blocking," Day said. "He's right where I would expect him to be as a rookie." Blocking was considered a shortcoming of Gesicki's coming out of college, so improvement in that area could give the athletic prospect a clear path to becoming a three-down player. Rookie tight ends generally don't have immediate fantasy value, but if Gesicki continues to impress in training camp he could garner late-round attention.

Hodges was waived by the Jets on Sunday.

Hodges was waived to make room for running back George Atkinson. If Hodges clears waivers, he'll become a free agent and will look to secure a depth tight end and special teams role with a team in 2018.

The Patriots cut Niklas on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Niklas signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in April, but the team elected to let him walk Friday to open a roster spot for the signing of wide receiver Paul Turner. Given New England's depth at the position, it was going to be a long shot for Niklas to find a 53-man roster spot, but he will now be free to look into a deal with another club.

Henry (knee) has been placed on the PUP list, Jack Wang of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Henry tore the ACL in his right knee in May and will eventually be placed on injured reserve. He should have plenty of time to get healthy before Week 1 of 2019, at which point he'll step back in as the Chargers' No. 1 tight end. In the meantime, the Chargers are left with an uninspired group, though Antonio Gates may eventually be re-signed to help the situation.

Derby and MarQueis Gray were both on the field for the first snap of training camp with the first-string offense, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

Formations with multiple tight ends probably won't be a huge part of Miami's offense, as head coach Adam Gase has long favored three-wide sets and currently has at least four receivers who warrant significant playing time. Despite their slotting on the first day of camp, Derby and Gray may ultimately end up competing for one roster spot, considering rookies Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe are locks to make the team. Gesicki is probably the only one of the bunch with enough of a ceiling to warrant fantasy consideration.

Gray and A.J. Derby opened training camp with the first-string offense, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

Despite using a two-TE formation on the first play of training camp, the Dolphins figure to remain highly reliant on three-wide sets, leaving Gray, Derby, second-round pick Mike Gesicki and fourth-round pick Durham Smythe to compete for 70-85 cumulative snaps per game. With only 27 catches in 61 career games, Gray is an extreme long shot to earn fantasy relevance, regardless of how he's being used at the start of camp. Gesicki is the upside play among Miami tight ends, offering rare athleticism for the position.

Kroft (undisclosed) returned healthy for training camp, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports.

Kroft was held out of June minicamp but never seemed to be in much danger of missing the start of training camp. He figures to get most of the first-team reps until Tyler Eifert (back) is removed from the PUP list. Given Eifert's lengthy injury history, there's a decent chance Kroft will have an opportunity to build on his breakout 2017 campaign.

Carter was claimed off of waivers by the Seahawks on Thursday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Carter was one of a few tight ends who were added to the Seahawks roster Thursday while top option Ed Dickson (groin) is sidelined. Look for Carter to compete for a backup tight end and special teams role in Seattle.

Cajuste exited Thursday's practice early due to a concussion, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Cajuste is competing for a reserve role with the Browns, and his chances of making the roster will be slimmer the longer he's sidelined. Look for Julian Allen to get some extra reps as long as Cajuste is sidelined.

Hamm signed with the Seahawks on Thursday, John Boyle of the team's official site reports.

Hamm hasn't played an NFL game since logging five games with the 49ers in 2016, posting two receptions on four targets for 13 yards. He spent last season unemployed, but he'll look to make a comeback with the Seahawks. However, Seattle now has seven tight ends and three of them are locks to make the 53-man roster, so Hamm is considered a long shot.