NFL Player News

The Panthers agreed to terms with Horsted on Monday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Horsted is joining a Panthers tight end room that's currently depleted, as both Ian Thomas (calf) and Tommy Tremble (hamstring) are dealing with injuries. Horsted, a Princeton product, is likely an extra camp body to take some load off the recovering Thomas and Tremble, but if he impresses throughout the preseason, he could earn a depth spot on Carolina's 53-man roster.

Coach Dan Campbell said Monday that LaPorta (undisclosed), who did not practice, will "be fine long term, don't sweat," Nolan Bianchi of The Detroit News reports.

LaPorta appears to be dealing with a minor injury, which Campbell said the star tight end sustained in practice late last week. It doesn't appear that LaPorta's current issue is anything truly notable, but it could impact his preseason availability, beginning with Thursday's opener on the road against the Giants. As long as LaPorta is sidelined, additional first-team reps will be up for grabs for Brock Wright, James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra.

Coach Zac Taylor said Monday that Gesicki (undisclosed) is managing some tightness and considered day-to-day, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Gesicki has reportedly been building some positive chemistry with new quarterback Joe Burrow at training camp, but it sounds like the tight end could be a candidate to be held out of Saturday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers, if Cincinnati's starters do suit up. Though Gesicki is coming off back-to-back seasons in which he failed to tally 400 receiving yards, there's reason to be optimistic that his athleticism sets up well for a comeback in Cincinnati's passing game, and that will depend on the 28-year-old staying healthy and truly establishing himself as the No. 1 option in the Bengals' tight end room.

Kincaid has been impressive throughout training camp, according to Alex Brasky of the Batavia Daily News.

The 2023 first-round pick came on strong in the second half of his rookie season -- especially while fellow tight end Dawson Knox was out with a wrist injury -- and now becomes a candidate to lead the Bills in targets post-Stefon Diggs. It is possible Knox's superior size/blocking costs Kincaid some snaps (and therefore routes), but there's no doubt Kincaid will be one of the passing-game priorities whenever he's on the field. The Bills otherwise seem to be counting on WRs Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman, along with RB James Cook. While there's no obvious superstar like Diggs, the diversity of skill sets could work well in combination with the rushing threat posed by QB Josh Allen.

Knox (groin) returned to practice Monday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Knox's absence Sunday was chalked up to "groin/vet rest," and this would seem to confirm it's nothing serious. He should still have a role in the Buffalo offense as a regular blocker and occasional pass catcher, but he isn't likely to see as many targets as he did from 2019 to 2022 now that the Bills have 2023 first-round pick Dalton Kincaid at tight end.

Castles (undisclosed) reverted to the Eagles' injured reserve Sunday, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Castles suffered an undisclosed injury in Thursday's public practice and will now be sidelined for the entire 2024 campaign unless he reaches an injury settlement with Philadelphia. The tight end was geared up to compete for a depth role this season behind Dallas Goedert, but he'll now shift his focus to recovering from his injury.

Hollister and the Panthers agreed on a contract Sunday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Hollister sat out the entire 2023 season after reaching an injury settlement with the Raiders last August, but he appears to be fully healthy ahead of the 2024 campaign. With Ian Thomas (calf) sidelined for the time being and Stephen Sullivan (quadriceps) out for the season, Hollister will provide Carolina with another depth option behind Tommy Tremble (hamstring) at tight end.

Knox isn't practicing Sunday due to a groin issue, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Knox's absence is also denoted as "vet rest" on the team's injury report, but this is the first word of a groin issue. It's unclear if the veteran tight end's absence from Sunday's practice is precautionary or if he's going to miss additional time. Knox is slated to again cede most of the team's tight end pass-catching work to Dalton Kincaid during the coming campaign.

Otton is expected to fill his most versatile role yet in new coordinator Liam Coen's offense this coming season, Brianna Dix of the team's official site reports.

The third-year pro has already made his mark over his first two seasons, recording a combined 89-846-6 line across 33 regular-season games and adding 17 receptions for 212 yards and a touchdown in three career postseason contests. However, Otton could be in store for his most productive campaign yet, given Coen's offense will focus heavily on shifts and motion to get its playmakers into advantageous matchups. While the Buccaneers operated out of a two-tight-end set a relatively modest 28.3 percent of the time in 2023, training camp practices this summer have seen the offense deploy more diversified personnel groupings and Otton line up in more spots along the formation than he did a year ago in Dave Canales' scheme.

The Jaguars waived/injured Pederson on Saturday due to an ankle injury.

Pederson spent most of 2023 on the Jaguars' practice squad, though he did appear in three regular-season games and did not record a catch. He signed a reserve/future contract in January, and he practiced with the Jaguars in OTAs and minicamp, but he has been held out of the last couple of practice sessions in training camp due to an ankle injury, per Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union. Should he clear waivers, Pederson will revert to the Jaguars' injured reserve list, which would force him to sit out for the entire 2024 season unless an injury settlement is reached between the two sides.