NFL Player News

Stephens has had a strong training camp so far and is pushing for the No. 2 spot on the Cowboys' tight end depth chart, Jon Machota and Saad Yousef of The Athletic report.

Jake Ferguson is locked into the starting job, but after that the Dallas depth chart is unsettled. Luke Schoonmaker was a second-round pick in 2023 but has had trouble staying healthy to begin his career and is already battling a groin issue in camp. Peyton Hendershot (shoulder) has shown flashes as a pass-catching option but is also not 100 percent healthy. That's opened up reps for Stephens, a converted wide receiver who was an undrafted free agent in 2023 but made a good early impression last year before suffering a torn ACL in the preseason that cost him the entire campaign. Fully recovered from the knee injury, Stephens has seen reps with the first-team offense and looks capable of providing solid depth behind Ferguson.

Hockenson (knee) isn't likely to be ready for Week 1 and could miss anywhere from three to seven regular-season games, ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler reports.

While previous reports perhaps came off as more optimistic, Hockenson has always faced an uphill battle to be ready for the start of the season after suffering ACL and MCL tears on Dec. 24. Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said last week that Hockenson is, "very well ahead of maybe where some of the medical folks thought he would be," but also cautioned that, "a timeline exists and we're going to try to stay true to that." Hockenson remains on the active/PUP list after two weeks of training camp, and it won't come as any surprise if he heads into the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, which would rule him out for the first four games. In the meantime, TE snaps and targets seem to be up for grabs between Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt and Robert Tonyan (back).

Bellinger caught one of two targets for seven yards in Thursday's 14-3 preseason win over the Lions.

Bellinger wasn't heavily involved but neither was rookie fourth-round pick Theo Johnson, who wasn't targeted Thursday. Tyree Jackson was the Giants' most productive tight end Thursday with two catches for 34 yards, but Bellinger and Johnson have been splitting first-team reps in practice and remain on track to lead the position come the regular season. New York's next preseason game will be in Houston next Saturday.

Tremble (hamstring) is not slated to play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Patriots, Kassidy Hill of the team's official site reports.

The same applies to fellow TE Ian Thomas, who is dealing with a calf injury. The duo's next chance to suit up will arrive Saturday, Aug. 17 against the Jets. Tremble and Thomas are listed as co-starters on the Panthers' initial unofficial depth chart.

Hendershot was unavailable for the Cowboys' practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

Hendershot was forced to sit out the team's "mock game" at practice as the Cowboys gear up for their first preseason contest Sunday on the road versus the Rams. The tight end will look to get back on the practice field as soon as possible, though he may not be able to go Sunday depending on the severity of his shoulder issue.

The Eagles claimed Rogers off waivers on Wednesday.

Rogers, who missed the entire 2023 season due to a torn Achilles tendon, was waived by the Commanders on Tuesday and now finds a new home in Philadelphia. He faces long odds to make the Eagles' active roster, but an impressive showing in training camp could allow Rogers to earn a spot on the practice squad.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that Okonkwo and Josh Whyle are "two very different kind of tight ends" and both will have roles in the offense, Buck Reising of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

Callahan classified Whyle is more of an in-line "Y" tight end and Okonkwo as more of an "F" (move) tight end, which perhaps hints at the latter being more involved than the former as a pass catcher. The team's initial preseason depth chart lists both as starters, a move that attracted some attention after Whyle played only 156 snaps in 11 games as a rookie in 2023. Okonkwo, meanwhile, took 692 snaps in 17 games, but he struggled for much of the season before improving late in the campaign and recording 61 percent of his yardage over the final seven weeks (322 out of 528 yards). His production was also heavily back-weighted during his 2022 rookie campaign, but in that season, Okonkwo simply didn't get much playing time early on. Callahan's quote makes it sound like another leap forward in playing time is unlikely for Okonkwo in Year 3.

Kraft (pectoral) said Tuesday that he expects to be ready for the Packers' Week 1 game against Philadelphia, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Kraft suffered a pectoral tear early in the offseason and has been limited to individual drills at training camp since the Packers activated him from the PUP list Monday. The second-year tight end has more than a month to gear up for the season opener, and at this point, his role seems to be more of a question than his availability, as the Packers have fellow 2023 draft pick Luke Musgrave at tight end. Musgrave was the starter for most of last season and had plenty of promising moments, but Kraft had better receiving numbers when he got his chance to start, filling in late in the season while Musgrave recovered from a serious kidney injury. The Packers might even deploy a rotation rather than settling on one player as the clear No. 1 tight end.

Alie-Cox is listed as one of two starting tight ends on Indianapolis' first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, Amanda Foster of the Colts' official site reports.

Kylen Granson is listed as a starter at tight end along with Alie-Cox, who would function primarily as a blocker if the two were to share the field together. Though the 6-foot-5, 267-pound Alie-Cox still presents a big target in the red zone, his involvement in the passing game has faded over the past two seasons. He had just 22 targets in 17 games in 2023, finishing with 13 receptions for 161 yards and three touchdowns.

Fant left Tuesday's practice with an apparent foot injury, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Fant reportedly left midway through practice and didn't return. Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald didn't speak with the media after the session to provide an update, so the nature and severity of Fant's injury aren't yet fully known. The 26-year-old is positioned for a larger role than he had in 2023, as fellow tight ends Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly signed with other teams this offseason, while Fant re-signed with Seattle on a two-year, $21 million deal.