NFL Player News

San Francisco released Dwelley on Friday.

Dwelley suited up for all 17 regular-season games in a depth role with Atlanta last season, and he inked with the 49ers back in May. He'll work to carve out another reserve opportunity elsewhere in the league.

Keene's injury that landed him on season-ending injured reserve is to his leg, per a league source, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

It's a dangerous time to be a tight end for Houston, which has placed two members of the room on injured reserve this week. Keene follows Brevin Jordan, who will miss the season due to a knee injury, his second in as many seasons. The Texans signed free agent Tre' McKitty in the wake of those injuries.

Smith (hand) returned to practice Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 Houston reports.

Smith, who missed two days of practice this week, got healthy just in time for Saturday's preseason tilt against Carolina. It's a good time for him to be healthy, as the Texans lost a pair of tight ends this week to season-ending injuries -- Brevin Jordan (knee) and Dalton Keene (leg).

Fannin was cited as a riser at this week's joint practices with Philadelphia, per Zac Jackson of The Athletic.

Fannin dropped a potential touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Flacco early in Thursday's session, but the rookie tight end responded by catching the next one thrown his way and later scored on a deep corner route. While head coach Kevin Stefanski hasn't directly said it, Jackson believes Fannin is ahead of schedule. He could line up all over the formation and will be involved in the offense, per Jackson, as the second tight end behind David Njoku.

The Bills signed Sokol on Thursday.

Just two days after waiving Sokol, Buffalo saw fit to bring him back on board ahead of its second game of the preseason Sunday at Chicago. His spot on the team isn't set in stone moving forward though, and it would be surprising if any tight end other than Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox or Jackson Hawes remained on the Bills' active roster after final roster cuts later in August.

Henry (undisclosed) returned to practice Thursday, Mark Daniels of MassLive.com reports.

A undisclosed issue sidelined the tight end earlier this week, but Henry's return to the field Thursday suggests that he could be available for Saturday's preseason contest against the Vikings. That said, it's unclear if the Patriots plan to play their starters or not this weekend.

Adkins (ankle) won't be ready for the start of the regular season, coach Sean Payton relayed Thursday, Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette reports.

Adkins will be sidelined for more than a month due to a tightrope procedure on an ankle sprain. If he makes the team despite his injury, Adkins would provide depth in a tight-end room that also includes Evan Engram, Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull.

Lions coach Dan Campbell said Thursday that LaPorta will "miss a little bit of time" with a minor injury, Richard Silva of The Detroit News reports.

LaPorta isn't practicing Thursday and presumably won't play in Saturday's preseason game against the Dolphins. Campbell didn't provide details on the injury, only saying that it's nothing major and LaPorta will miss some practice time. The tight end otherwise seems to have been a full participant in Detroit's offseason program and training camp.

Gadsden has continued to show up consistently in the passing game during Chargers camp this summer, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Gadsden was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft out of Syracuse, where he erupted for a career receiving line of 143-2,000-14 across just 36 contests. Gadsden is long and athletic, standing at 6-foot-5 and 241 pounds, and his playmaking ability has stood out during practice. Gadsden has started each of the Chargers' first two exhibitions, though it's important to note Los Angeles has yet to field its true first-team offense during the preseason. Gadsden has accrued a 3-22-0 line on five targets while running 35 pass routes during that time. Gadsden is dripping with pass-catching upside, but the Chargers have many mouths to feed on offense, particularly after the signing of Keenan Allen late in the summer. Gadsden is in a crowded tight end room that also includes veterans Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin.

Pline (upper body) reverted to injured reserve with the Saints on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Pline left Sunday's 27-13 preseason loss to the Chargers a little worse for wear, sustaining an undisclosed upper-body injury in the contest. The injury will cause the tight end to miss the entirety of the 2025 campaign while on injured reserve, unless he's able to reach an injury settlement with New Orleans.