NFL Player News

General manager Nick Caserio told reporters Thursday that Stover (collarbone) has stood out during the offseason and the early portions of training camp, Jared Koch of SI.com reports.

Stover saw limited playing time during his rookie campaign, finishing with 15 catches (on 22 targets) for 133 yards and one touchdown across 15 regular-season games. He broke his collarbone during the Texans' wild-card win over the Chargers in January, but he has fully recovered from the injury and has made a good impression on Caserio and the coaching staff. Stover enters training camp in a competition against Brevin Jordan (knee) for backup tight end duties behind Dalton Schultz.

Smith (undisclosed) didn't participate in team drills during Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

The report notes that Smith worked in individual drills, with coach Mike Tomlin noting that the tight end is considered "day-to-day" with an unspecified injury. Once Smith is able to work fully, he'll look to build chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers, while working as part of the Steelers' one-two TE punch, which also features Pat Freiermuth.

Falcons QB Michael Penix said Thursday that he plans to throw a lot of passes to Pitts (foot) this year, Justin Felder of FOX 5 Sports Atlanta reports.

Earlier in the day, Falcons coach Raheem Morris said Pitts was medically cleared for training camp but might have "modifications" to his practice plan after missing spring practices with a foot injury. Pitts then went out and made a bunch of big plays during the first practice of camp, prompting Penix to tell reporters there's "gonna be a lot of that" this year. It's a good sign for their chemistry, perhaps, after Pitts got just 10 targets in Penix's three starts last season, thus closing out the year with six or fewer targets in each of Atlanta's last 10 games. William McFadden of the Falcons' official site notes that Pitts mostly worked with the wide receivers (rather than tight ends) during position drills Thursday.

Pitts (foot) is medically cleared for training camp, although Falcons coach Raheem Morris said the tight end may have "modifications" to his practice plan early on, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Pitts was present for Atlanta's offseason program but didn't practice, with reports suggesting a foot injury was responsible for his lack of activity. It sounds like he'll have plenty of time to ramp up for Week 1 as he prepares for the fifth and final season of his rookie contract, subject to the lowest expectations of his career after failing to break out (again) in 2024 under a new coaching staff.

Redman (undisclosed) was placed on the active/PUP list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Redman joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent this spring. He faces an uphill battle to make the roster, and beginning camp on the sidelines won't help his cause.

Jordan (knee) made his practice debut Wednesday, Jonathan Alexander and Sam Warren of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Jordan tore his ACL in Week 2 of the 2024 season and has been progressively ramping up. He returned to the practice field to catch a pass from C.J. Stroud during Wednesday's practice and appears to be tracking toward a Week 1 return.

Wiley (knee) has participated in training camp practices this week, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.

Wiley missed the second half of the 2024 season after tearing his ACL in November. The 2024 fourth-rounder participated in positional drills during minicamp in June, and he has progressed enough in his recovery to increase his workload in training camp. Wiley is battling against Noah Gray and Robert Tonyan for backup tight end duties behind Travis Kelce.

Coach Mike McDaniel noted Wednesday that Waller's placement on the PUP list is standard procedure for players coming out of retirement, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

With that in mind, McDaniel indicated that the team is simply taking a preventative and responsible approach by easing Waller into the mix. In terms of the tight end's physical readiness at the onset of training camp, McDaniel added, "this is a well-conditioned athlete who's in great shape." Once Waller re-takes the field, he'll have an opportunity to fill the void created by the trade of fellow TE Jonnu Smith (88 catches for Miami in 2024), who was traded to the Steelers last month.

Panthers coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that Tremble (back) won't practice soon but could be ready in 3-to-4 weeks, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Tremble is on the active/PUP list for the start of training camp, and it sounds like he may remain there until mid-August or so, which puts his Week 1 availability into question. He had a procedure on his back in May, two months after re-signing with the Panthers on a two-year contract. Tremble is mostly known for his blocking, with 85 career catches in 61 games, while 2024 fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders is the favorite to be Carolina's top pass-catching TE.

Knox will miss Wednesday's opening training camp practice due to a hamstring issue, Alec White of the Bills' official site reports.

On Wednesday, coach Sean McDermott didn't provide a timetable for the tight end's return to the field, with the team taking it "one day at a time" with injured players such as Knox. The 2019 third-rounder was placed on the active/non-football injury list by the Bills on Tuesday, but he can be activated at any time, once he's ready to resume practice.