NFL Player News

Lewis did not catch a pass in Thursday's preseason loss to Carolina.

Lewis hauled in a pair of receptions in his preseason debut last week against the Bucs, but he didn't make an impact Thursday as the Jags' offense once again sputtered behind the command of both Chad Henne and Blake Bortles. With Julius Thomas out of the picture, Lewis is expected to step back into a more significant role this season, though at age 33 his best days as a receiving threat are firmly in the rear-view. The UCLA product had just 20 receptions for 169 yards and one touchdown in 2016.

Ertz caught three passes for 44 yards on three targets in Thursday's preseason game against the Dolphins.

Carson Wentz has seemed to force the ball to Alshon Jeffery at times in the past two preseason games, but it hasn't had much of an impact on Ertz's involvement. The fifth-year tight end figures to stay plenty busy this season, as the Philadelphia receiving corps doesn't look so crowded after the team traded slot receiver Jordan Matthews to the Bills.

Duarte suffered a concussion during Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald reports.

The second-year tight end with less-than-ideal size for the position (6-2, 241) is fighting for a roster spot, which compounds the impact of his injury Thursday. It's unclear at this time whether Duarte will be ready to play by the Dolphins' final preseason game. He'll be placed in the concussion protocol, and his progress will be tracked throughout the week leading up to Miami's preseason finale.

Hamlett (leg) was waived by the Cowboys on Thursday after reaching an injury settlement.

There's only a slim chance Hamlett's broken fibula heals before the end of the regular season, but he is now eligible to search for a new employer. Hamlett has one career target: a 17-yard touchdown catch for Cleveland in 2016.

Rickey Henne of the Chargers' official site suggested Henry was one of the team's stars throughout training camp.

Henry has followed an impressive rookie season in which he logged eight TD receptions with an equally strong performance during training camp. It's perhaps not much of a surprise to see the Arkansas alum draw rave reviews given his unique combination of size and speed, but it's still encouraging to hear Henry is maturing as both a pass catcher and blocker, the latter of which he struggled at times with last season. Henry thus appears poised to overtake veteran Antonio Gates as the Chargers' No. 1 tight end in 2017 in the team's Philip Rivers-led passing attack, while bringing a far higher ceiling to the table than his aging counterpart.

Higbee is expected to start against the Chargers on Saturday, Rich Hammond of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Higbee also started last week against Oakland, so the second-year tight end appears to be holding off rookie Gerald Everett for the time being. There is definitely some potential for Higbee to have a number of solid fantasy showings, but he's probably going to be an unreliable weekly option. Additionally, Everett is going to cut into some of Higbee's workload at some point, which caps the upside of both tight ends.

Lucas (ankle) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, Derek Lewis of 247 Sports reports.

Lucas hurt his ankle during the Seahawks' second preseason game against the Vikings. He's unlikely to come off IR all season unless he agrees to an injury settlement.

Njoku (ankle) is practicing Wednesday, Mary Kat Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

Browns coach Hue Jackson was apparently correct in his assertion that Njoku's ankle injury from Monday's preseason game isn't a serious issue. The rookie tight end is getting right back to it, which is good news considering he already missed some practice time while dealing with a sore back earlier in the month. The Browns still seem to have an open competition at tight end, as Njoku, Seth DeValve and Randall Telfer all got work with the first-team offense during Monday's exhibition. The trio combined to catch four passes for only nine yards, but each of the three drew at least one target while Brock Osweiler was still in the game.

Bowman (knee) saw just 16 snaps in Sunday's preseason win over the Chargers, Larry Holder of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

Bowman is looking to bounce back in 2017 from the knee injury that prematurely ended his 2016 campaign. His limited snaps in Sunday's preseason contest indicate that he's not very high up on the depth chart, as he played in 12 offensive snaps and four special teams snaps.

Head coach Hue Jackson reported that Njoku's ankle injury isn't going to be a problem, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

The 2017 first-round pick escaped a scare here and will need to be healthy for the next two games to recover from a lethargic first game -- one reception for one yard on three targets. Njoku is expected to play Saturday in Tampa Bay.