NFL Player News

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.

Gathers (concussion) will be held out of Saturday's preseason contest against the Raiders, Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Gathers entered the concussion protocol last Tuesday after a helmet-to-helmet hit from safety Kevon Frazier in practice. The friendly fire will force two DNPs at least during a preseason in which consistent performances could have been rewarded with a role in the offense. Instead, the Cowboys will continue to roll with James Hanna and Geoff Swaim as the primary reserves behind Jason Witten.

James hasn't faced a serious challenge for the starting tight end job, Bob Labriola of Steelers.com reports.

After making 13 starts last season while Ladarius Green was limited to six games, James had the inside track to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart once Green was released in May. There was some thought Xavier Grimble would push for the starting gig -- or at least regular work on passing downs -- but it seems James has locked down the top job without much trouble. Given both his own limitations and the team's abundant talent at the other skill positions, James still only projects as a complementary piece in the passing attack. He caught 39 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets last year, producing just 8.7 yards per catch and 5.6 per target. James does at least stand to benefit from playing in a high-powered offense with a quarterback who likes to target tight ends near the end zone.

Njoku suffered an ankle injury during Monday's exhibition against the Giants, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports.

The extent of Njoku's injury isn't known, but it probably won't help the rookie tight end's chances of landing a meaningful role in the Browns' offense when the regular season begins. Look for an update on Njoku's condition to come once he undergoes further testing.