NFL Player News

Heyward secured both of his targets for four yards and a touchdown during Friday's 20-12 preseason loss to the Texans.

Heyward wasn't a consistent part of the Steelers' passing game last year, as he secured 23 of 34 targets for 167 yards over 17 regular-season games. However, he had a six-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter of Friday's preseason opener. Although it was encouraging to see Heyward reach the end zone against Houston, he's unlikely to be a reliable contributor during the regular season, as he remains behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington on the Steelers' depth chart at tight end.

Fant (foot) likely will return to practice next week, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Fant made an early exit from Tuesday's practice session due to a foot injury, which presumably will keep him out for Saturday's preseason game at the Chargers. With Fant sidelined this weekend, Pharaoh Brown, Tyler Mabry and Brady Russell are next up for TE reps in the Seahawks offense.

Pitts is listed among starters the Falcons announced are not expected to suit up for Friday's road preseason matchup against Miami, Tori McElhaney of the team's official site reports.

Pitts, who had his 2025 fifth-year option exercised by Atlanta earlier this offseason, stands to sit out Friday's preseason opener along with most of the Falcons' first-team offense and defense. The fourth-year tight end is a popular breakout candidate for the 2024 season due to the arrival of Kirk Cousins under center, in addition to being another year removed from the MCL sprain in his right knee that prematurely ended his 2022 campaign. Pitts' next chance to take the field for preseason action will come Aug. 17 against Baltimore on the road.

Andrews is among the Ravens' key starters not expected to see action in Friday's preseason opener against the Eagles, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

As Zrebiec points out, coach John Harbaugh has approached the exhibition slate with caution over the past two years, and that doesn't seem likely to change this time around. In the case of Andrews, the star tight end is a proven veteran who had injury issues last season, so it makes sense to limit his exposure to preseason snaps ahead of Week 1.

The 49ers released Thomas (hamstring) on Friday.

Thomas inked a one-year deal with San Francisco back in June and appeared set to provide the team with valuable veteran depth behind top tight end George Kittle, so it's somewhat surprising to see him be released two weeks into training camp. A hamstring injury had kept Thomas out of practice for roughly the last week, but unless he's reached an injury settlement, his release indicates a clean bill of health. Thomas will now look for an opportunity elsewhere in the league, likely as a backup or rotational option for another team.

Mallory (hamstring) was back practicing Friday, Joel A. Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Mallory's hamstring injury from the Colts' 2023 season has lingered over to preparation for this upcoming year, but he's now moving in the right direction with a return to practice. The capacity that the 6-foot-4 tight end was able to participate in Friday was not disclosed, which leaves his availability for Sunday's preseason game against Denver up in the air.

Jordan (undisclosed) is slated to miss Houston's Week 1 preseason game against the Steelers, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jordan had been deemed healthy so far during training camp, but an undisclosed injury will take him out of Houston's preseason opener. The 6-foot-3 tight end finished out the 2023 season with 17 grabs for 219 yards and two touchdowns, and more information on his preseason injury should be released in the coming days.

LaPorta (hamstring) didn't see action in Thursday's preseason opener against the Giants, the Detroit News reports.

The Lions opted not to play their key skill players in the contest, but LaPorta has been dealing with a hamstring injury, so he probably wouldn't have played Thursday even if they had. The star tight end's next chance to see game action is Aug. 17 against the Chiefs, but he'll need to get some practice time in before then for that to occur.

Henry didn't play in Thursday's preseason opener versus the Panthers, Chad Graff of The Athletic reports.

Per Zack Cox of the Boston Herald, Henry suited up Thursday but did not play, so it's possible that the tight end could be managing a minor injury. In any case, while there's plenty of snaps up for grabs in the Patriots' crowded WR corps, Henry's standing as the team's top TE appears secure ahead of Week 1.

Matthews caught all three of his targets for 48 yards during Thursday's 17-3 preseason loss to the Patriots.

The Panthers are desperate for a tight end that can be a vertical threat, and they may have found a hidden gem in the former Eagles wideout. Matthews (19 snaps) played behind rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders (24 snaps) during Thursday's contest, but Matthews outperformed him, as Sanders failed to even see a target. With Carolina's tight-end corps being one of the weakest units in football over the last few seasons, Matthews could find his way onto the team's 53-man roster if he continues to impress.