NFL Player News

Graham could get more targets at the goal line this year, the Tacoma News Tribune reports.

Graham was targeted a team-high 20 times in the red zone last season but only three came inside the 10, where he scored once. Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said the plan is to "[g]ive him more opportunities," and that Russell Wilson needs to continue to trust that the 6-7 Graham, who has a huge catch radius, is open even when he looks covered. "If you're a fantasy guy, you're probably not really excited about what was happening (last year)," Bevell said. "He's in there. We're working to get him the ball. Can we be better at it? Yes. That is absolutely what we're trying to do. We want to make him a big part of things."

Uzomah suffered a severe left ankle sprain Monday, Jim Owczarski of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

This is still a bad injury, but it easily could've been worse. Uzomah is a depth tight-end option in Cincinnati, behind Tyler Eifert and Tyler Kroft. He finished last season with 25 receptions on 38 targets for 234 yards and a touchdown.

Graham is down to 260 pounds after playing last season at around 280, ESPN.com's Sheil Kapadia reports.

While he didn't look out of shape last season, Graham apparently tacked on some unwanted weight while recovering from patella surgery. He still finished third among NFL tight ends with 923 receiving yards, but he was often absent from practice during the week, and there have been reports all offseason that he produced that total while playing at far less than 100 percent strength. The 30-year-old tight end said himself that he feels "almost a hundred times better" than he did during training camp last year. Graham is locked in as one of the top options at his position, with less than a handful of players offering comparable ceilings.

Njoku is listed behind Randall Telfer and Seth DeValve at tight end on the unofficial depth chart the Browns issued Monday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

The 2017 first-round pick has had a fumbling problem early on in training camp, which has temporarily put him behind his main competition for the starting role. From a talent standpoint, Njoku unquestionably outclasses Telfer and DeValve, so if he's able to rein in the mistakes and pick up the offense quickly, he could end up emerging at the top of depth chart before Week 1 arrives. Njoku's preseason performance may ultimately dictate how many snaps he sees to begin the regular season.

Uzomah was carted off the field during Monday's practice with an apparent lower-leg injury, Sam Greene of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Uzomah was reportedly in a lot of pain as he was being wheeled off the field Monday. It's difficult to predict how long he'll be out with relatively few details available, but more information should be available in the coming days. With Uzomah sidelined, expect Ryan Hewitt and Mason Schreck to pick up the bulk of the third-team reps at tight end.

Kelce (knee) was held out of practice Monday, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Kelce has been sidelined for Kansas City's last three practices due to swelling in his left knee. The tight end's recent absences aren't considered cause for concern, however, as the Chiefs are just exercising caution with their top target at this early stage of camp. It seems unlikely that Kelce will be made available for Friday's preseason opener, but he'll want to get a game or two in prior to the regular season.

Kelce (knee) has a sleeve on his left leg and won't take part in Sunday's practice, BJ Kissel of the Chiefs' official site reports.

The injury doesn't appear to be serious, as Kelce still walked out to the field with his teammates and chatted it up with fans. He's been out since Friday due to swelling in his knee, after missing the entire offseason program while recovering from shoulder surgery. More important than the current knee injury is the absence of reported setbacks with the surgically repaired shoulder. Kelce figures to make at least one or two appearances in the preseason and still has plenty of time to get ready for Week 1.

Graham made a couple of red-zone catches for touchdowns during Friday's practice, Gregg Bell of the News Tribune reports.

Seeing Graham utilized in the red zone during drills prompted reporters to ask offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell how to get Graham more involved near the goal line in 2017. "Give him more opportunities," Seattle's offensive coordinator said. As the team's play caller, Bevell has some say in giving Graham more red-zone opportunities.

Orndoff (undisclosed) was removed from the Steelers' injured reserve list after reaching an injury settlement with the team.

It still isn't clear what Orndoff is tending to. When healthy, he's now free to sign elsewhere.

Kelce did not practice Friday due to swelling in his knee, BJ Kissel of Chiefs.com reports.

Kelce missed his rookie season after having microfracture surgery, but it's unclear whether his swelling is related to minor lingering effects from that or something else. Nonetheless, his absence from Friday's practice isn't of concern to coach Andy Reid, who said, "He'll be fine." The Chiefs' premier target in the passing game, Kelce was cleared for the start of training camp following a shoulder operation this offseason.