NFL Player News

Royer (personal) did not play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

There are no updates on the fifth-round rookie's issue and it is unclear when he might return to the team. Royer was set to be the No. 2 tight end behind Harold Fannin. In the 24-year-old's absence, Blake Whiteheart, Brenden Bates and fellow rookie Carsen Ryan have been competing for the No. 2 reps.

The Texans signed Hansen to a contract Sunday.

Hansen's signing is likely to add tight end depth after Brevin Jordan (knee) suffered an injury during last Friday's training camp session. Hansen likely will get a few reps in the remaining preseason games before cut-down day. The tight end's first chance to make an impact will be Thursday's contest against the Raiders.

Hockenson played five snaps on offense and didn't show up in the box score otherwise during the Vikings' 13-10 preseason win over the Giants on Saturday.

Hockenson saw the least amount of offensive snaps among Vikings tight ends Saturday, with Bryson Nesbit (25) leading the position group in that category. Hockenson is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he logged 51 catches (on 66 targets) for 438 yards and three touchdowns across 15 regular-season games. He hasn't been the same player since his career year in 2023, which ended in late December by a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. The Vikings added wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the offseason to be the WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and while that may reduce Hockenson's target share, he's still the top tight end on the depth chart, with Josh Oliver and Ben Yurosek operating in complementary roles.

Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Kraft (knee) will participate in 11-on-11 team drills during Sunday's training camp practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Kraft opened training camp on the active/PUP list but has slowly increased his workload over the course of the last couple of weeks. His clearance to work in team drills is another positive step in his recovery from a torn ACL that he sustained in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Kraft is unlikely to play in either of the Packers' last two preseason games but appears to be on track to suit up Week 1 against the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13.

Loveland did not play in the Bears' 34-10 preseason win over the Browns on Saturday.

Loveland and other key skill players -- including Luther Burden (groin), Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet -- sat out of Saturday's game, allowing more snaps at tight end to go to Sam Roush and Stephen Carlson. Loveland, a first-round selection of the Bears in the 2025 NFL Draft, saw his playing time and production increase over the course of his rookie season, highlighted by his performance in Chicago's NFC wild-card win over Green Bay, when he caught eight passes (on 15 targets) for 137 yards. With DJ Moore (lower body) now in Buffalo, Loveland is poised to be an even bigger contributor to the Bears offense in 2026, with Odunze, Burden and Kmet being his main competition for passes from quarterback Caleb Williams.

Kincaid played nine snaps on offense but didn't show up in the box score otherwise during the Bills' 29-14 preseason win over the Panthers on Saturday.

Kincaid and Dawson Knox (10 snaps) saw limited action during Saturday's exhibition contest, with Keleki Latu leading the tight end group with 31 snaps on offense. Kincaid was limited to 12 regular-season games in 2025 while playing through a torn PCL that he originally sustained in November 2024. The 2023 first-rounder entered training camp with a clean bill of health and should see more involvement in the passing attack as a reliable set of hands/target for QB Josh Allen.

Hibner brought in all five targets for 61 yards in the Ravens' 24-7 preseason win over the Eagles on Saturday.

The rookie fourth-round pick wasted no time making an impact, recording a 29-yard reception on the Ravens' second play from scrimmage. Hibner added gains of eight and 13 yards on his next two catches, and the SMU product ultimately played into the second half. Hibner finished second on the night in all of receptions, receiving yards and targets for Baltimore, and it may not be long before he makes a case to usurp journeyman Durham Smythe for the No. 2 tight end job.

Stowers brought in all three targets for 12 yards in the Eagles' 24-7 preseason loss to the Ravens on Saturday.

The rookie second-round pick took advantage of all three opportunities he saw, leading to a solid professional debut. Stowers is currently listed as the No. 2 tight end on the Eagles' first unofficial depth chart, and Saturday's performance seemingly did nothing to hurt that standing.

Koziol didn't catch either of his two targets Saturday in a 24-20 preseason win against the Saints.

Neither of Koziol's targets were particularly well thrown, so his lack of catches shouldn't be a major concern. The rookie fifth-round pick will look to make a louder impact, however, in Jacksonville's remaining preseason contests. Brenton Strange is slated to be the Jaguars' top tight end during the upcoming season, with Koziol and Nate Boerkircher jockeying for the No. 2 and No. 3 slots.

Likely caught both his targets for 11 yards in Saturday's 13-10 preseason loss to the Vikings.

The fifth-year tight end signed a big three-year deal in March to follow coach John Harbaugh over from the Ravens, and QB Jaxson Dart looked Likely's way for third-down conversions on both his drives before the Giants' starters left the contest. It's an encouraging start to the duo's chemistry, and Likely could wind up being Dart's go-to option to move the sticks with wideout Malik Nabers drawing the eyes of the secondary as the top downfield threat. That said, Likely has never topped 42 catches or 477 yards in an NFL season, so it's not clear if he has the physical upside to become an elite fantasy option at tight end.