NFL Player News

Henry is unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason game in San Francisco, Eric Williams of ESPN.com reports.

Henry's preseason output may not reflect it -- three catches (on three targets) for 47 yards, 51 offensive snaps -- but he was perhaps the most noteworthy Charger in training camp. As long as he remains heavily involved in the red zone and experiences a bump in targets, the second-year tight end is on the brink of a breakout campaign. He only has one hurdle in his path to stardom: veteran TE Antonio Gates, who at 37 years old will remain a key cog of the offense.

Gathers (concussion) appears to be a candidate to land on injured reserve, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Gathers has completed nearly two weeks in the concussion protocol, and with no end in sight, he'll remain sidelined from practice and the Cowboys' final preseason game Thursday versus the Texans. The absence is expected to extend into the regular season, making him a candidate to be placed on injured reserve or the IR/designated-to-return list. An up-and-coming tight end in advance of training camp, Gathers is now out of the running to back up starting TE Jason Witten to start the regular season.

Njoku caught one of his two targets for 12 yards during Saturday's preseason game versus the Buccaneers.

Njoku has just two catches in two preseason games, but the rookie tight end has been limited throughout camp while dealing with back and neck ailments. The Browns have an open competition for the tight end job and Njoku seemingly still has a chance to nail it down, though the Browns may want to bring him along slowly.

Pruitt caught two passes for 22 yards in Sunday's win over the Titans.

Pruitt played exclusively with the backups, and he faces an uphill battle to make the regular-season roster, especially since the team currently carries six tight ends.

Higbee didn't catch either of his two targets during Saturday's preseason loss to the Chargers.

Higbee continues to jockey for positioning on the tight end depth chart with rookie Gerald Everett. At this stage of the game, neither has taken a stranglehold of the starter job, and it wouldn't be surprising if both Higbee and Everett were involved in the passing attack all season. However, that significantly limits their fantasy upside. Higbee isn't worth a roster spot in the majority of seasonal settings.

Schreck injured his knee during the Bengals' preseason contest Sunday, Jim Owczarski of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The severity of the injury is unclear at this point. Knee injuries can fall within a wide range of diagnoses, so we'll have to wait until more information becomes available to establish a timeline for his return. Being that he's buried on the team's depth chart at tight end, Schreck could be on the outside looking in if it takes him a long time to get back.

McGrath (knee) did not play in Saturday's preseason game against the Rams, ESPN's Eric D. Williams reports.

McGrath has yet to take the field after hyperextending his knee at the beginning of August. Thankfully for him, McGrath's main competition for the No. 3 role behind Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates is hurt as well, as Jeff Cumberland has also missed multiple weeks thanks to a hamstring injury.

Wright was released by the Lions on Monday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.

The Lions re-signed Wright earlier this month after he completed his recovery from a torn ACL, but the tight end didn't distinguish himself enough in practices or preseason contests to seriously enter the conversation for a roster spot. With Wright out of the picture, the Lions will have more reps available in the preseason finale for the likes of Michael Roberts and Robert Tonyan, who are competing for depth roles behind the team's top two options at the position, Eric Ebron and Darren Fells.

Carter caught a 16-yard touchdown for his only reception in Sunday's preseason win over the 49ers.

He'll likely begin the season as the No. 3 tight end, though it's not clear if both he and Bucky Hodges will make the final roster.

Hodges got time with the first-team offense and had one reception for 10 yards in Sunday's preseason win over the 49ers.

Hodges reportedly was slow to aclimate to the NFL early in training camp, but he's improved in the preseason and got time with the first stringers with Kyle Rudolph sitting out the game. He'll likely begin the season fourth on the depth chart, but it may be worth watching his development.