NFL Player News

Kroft is expected to serve as the Bengals' starting tight end for the foreseeable future after Tyler Eifert (back) decided to undergo season-ending surgery and was placed on injured reserve Thursday.

Kroft had already impressed in his three-game run in a starting role with 13 catches for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and now he'll receive the opportunity to show the Bengals that he could be a long-term answer at the position. Though Eifert has been incredibly effective when healthy during his four NFL seasons, health issues have limited his reliability and could make the Bengals reluctant to re-sign him when he becomes a free agent this offseason. Kroft's continued success amid Eifert's absence would likely go a long way toward determining how the Bengals address the position in the offseason. With his snap count now seemingly secure for the rest of the season, Kroft may be worth a pickup in leagues where he's still available.

With Kelce having advanced to the next stage of the NFL's concussion protocol, the tight end is slated to work at practice in a limited capacity Thursday, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Kelce is thus heading in the right direction after missing practice Wednesday, but the tight end could still draw a questionable injury designation for Sunday's 4:25 ET contest game against the Steelers. In the event that Kelce is limited or held out this weekend, Demetrius Harris would be next in line for the Chiefs' targets at tight end in Week 6.

Kittle was limited in practice Wednesday due to a chest injury, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle has regularly been hindered by injuries since he was drafted in April, with a chest concern joining hamstring, calf and hip issues from past months. He's nonetheless played in all five games this season, including this past Sunday in Indianapolis, where he put up season highs (seven catches on nine targets for 83 yards and one touchdown) across the board. Assuming he's given clearance by Sunday's kickoff, Kittle will look to keep up the pace against a Redskins defense that has yielded 90.3 yards per outing and two touchdowns to tight ends this season.

Kelce (concussion) isn't practicing Wednesday, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Kelce was dominant to the tune of eight catches for 98 yards through the first two quarters of Sunday's 42-34 win over the Texans, but he then sat out the entire second half after noticing concussion symptoms in the locker room at halftime. He doesn't have any recorded history of concussions since entering the NFL, which bodes well for his chances to make a quick recovery. It's nonetheless wise to view Kelce as questionable for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, considering players often have a tough time clearing the NFL's concussion protocol in less than a week. Demetrius Harris is the Chiefs' No. 2 tight end.

O'Malley signed with the Bills' practice squad Tuesday.

O'Malley spent most of last season on the Raiders' practice squad and now gets the opportunity to continue his career in Buffalo.

Everett caught just one of his three targets for only eight yards during Sunday's 16-10 loss to Seattle.

After catching all four of his targets for 134 yards in the first two games of the season, Everett has just two receptions for 16 yards the past three weeks. The rookie tight end played 26 of 74 offensive snaps Sunday, whereas sophomore Tyler Higbee played 48 and caught four passes for 98 yards against Seattle. Everett's athleticism isn't in question, and he's going to remain involved in the passing attack. Unfortunately, at this stage of the season, he offers no game-to-game consistency. His fantasy floor is likely lower than his ceiling is high, too.

Daniels had one reception for 13 yards in Sunday's win over the 49ers.

Daniels played a season-high 49 snaps with Jack Doyle out with a concussion. Brandon Williams got the start at tight end with Doyle out and should get most of the targets in the offense. However, Daniels ran a pass route on 43.1 percent of his snaps as compared to 39.3 percent for Williams, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lewis had one catch for 14 yards in Sunday's Week 5 win over the Steelers.

Lewis was targeted only twice on an afternoon in which Blake Bortles attempted just 14 passes and registered eight completions. The veteran tight end had a breakout game in Week 3, catching three touchdowns in a win over Baltimore, but he's since returned to being only a minor factor in one of the NFL's least-efficient passing offenses.

Supernaw caught both of his targets for 16 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 16-10 loss to the Dolphins.

Supernaw's 11-yard score was the first of his career. The blocking specialist remains a distant third behind Delanie Walker and Jonnu Smith on the tight end depth chart, which makes sense considering the 27-year-old Supernaw has never topped four catches or 62 yards in a season.

Smith secured all five of his targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 16-10 loss to Miami.

Smith did most of his damage near the line of scrimmage as Tennessee's offense failed to generate a play longer than 17 yards without quarterback Marcus Mariota (hamstring). Backup Matt Cassel relied heavily on the tight end position, with starter Delanie Walker turning five targets into 25 yards and third-stringer Phillip Supernaw catching the team's lone touchdown. Supernaw's no threat to Smith's playing time, as the rookie has established himself as a nice secondary weapon with 75 yards and two scores over the past three weeks.