NFL Player News

The following Bills were ruled as inactive for Saturday's preseason game against the Steelers: Guard Chris Williams, tight end Tony Moeaki, wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, linebacker Ty Powell, safety Jonathan Meeks and kicker Dustin Hopkins.

According to the team's official website, the following players will not dress for the Dolphins against the Buccaneers Saturday night: Mike Gillislee, Knowshon Moreno, Daniel Thomas, Charles Clay, Micajah Reynolds, Mike Pouncey, Jason Fox, Arthur Lynch, Gator Hoskins and A.J. Francis.

Eagles tight end Zach Ertz had another impressive showing as he continued to pose a threat in the red zone Friday night against New England in preseason action.

Ertz hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles in the second quarter. He caught both of his targeted passes for 26 yards and a touchdown with the first-team offense.

Saints tight end Jimmy Graham appears to be in midseason form, finding the end zone twice during Friday's preseason game against the Titans.

Graham caught a 6-yard from Luke McCown on the opening drive of the game. He found the end zone again on a 9-yard strike in the second quarter. He was targeted six times and finished with five catches for 48 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 9.6 yards per grab.

The Saints will be without the following players for Friday's preseason game against the Titans: Drew Brees, Marques Colston, Champ Bailey, Rod Sweeting, Erik Lorig, David Hawthorne, Kyle Knox, Ben Grubbs, Jahri Evans, Ty Nsekhe, Victor Butler, John Jenkins, Kenny Stills, Je'Ron Hamm, Patrick Robinson and Jairus Byrd.

Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis made some big plays and led all starters in receiving yards Thursday against the Bears in preseason action.

Often utilized in the short passing game, Lewis caught a 20-yard pass from Chad Henne on the opening drive. He followed that up with catches for 12 and 14 yards on the second drive. He caught all three of his targeted passes for 46 yards through three series of work with the first-team offense.

Although Brandon Pettigrew is still listed as the starting tight end for the Lions and rookie Eric Ebron is a quick-rising prospect, Lions coach Jim Caldwell doesn't want fans to forget about Joseph Fauria, who is listed as the second-team tight end on the team's unofficial depth chart.

"He’s been having a real fine camp," Caldwell said, per the team's official website. "One of the things that he and I had a little discussion about back during the offseason was that he was challenged by the fact that he thought that everybody kind of pigeonholed him as an individual that was just good in the red zone. That he’s deficient in blocking and things of that nature.

"He set out to prove all the skeptics wrong in that regard because he’s been blocking well. He’s working at it. He’s a linear guy, he’s pretty tall, but he can bend his knees. Obviously, we know what he can do in terms of pass catching. That height is something that you can’t teach and he’s got good hands. He really does provide a natural threat to the opposition."

Packers tight end Brandon Bostick ran with the No. 1 offense during the two-minute drill Monday and caught three passes in the first five plays, reports ESPN.com. The website said Bostick "might be the Packers' closest approximation" to Jermichael Finley, who's trying to gain medical clearance following a neck injury.

Bostick apparently has moved ahead of Andrew Quarless and Richard Rodgers in the battle to be the primary pass-catching tight end. "He's super talented," backup quarterback Scott Tolzien said of Bostick. "He's a big body that can also move really well, so he creates a mismatch."

Browns tight end MarQueis Gray suffered a concussion in Saturday's preseason game against the Lions, reports the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Eagles tight end Zach Ertz was a favorite target in the first preseason game Friday against the Bears.

Ertz, who played most of the first half with two different quarterbacks, and was targeted five times, good for second on the team. He hauled in four of those passes for 60 yards, including a long reception of 34 yards.

Ertz was useful in his rookie season, but is expected to take on a larger role this season.