NFL Player News

Njoku and quarterback Deshaun Watson showed off a developing connection during this week of practice, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

That connection became most notable Thursday, the Browns' first competitive practice with offense vs. defense in full pads. The tight end used his size to snare a couple of targets, beating Grant Delpit and Juan Thornhill in one-on-one coverage. Njoku appears to be operating with confidence following a breakout 2023 campaign, which really kicked into high gear over the second half when Watson was out with a shoulder injury. If the Watson-to-Njoku combination continues to develop, the Browns could make a deeper run in the playoffs.

The Saints signed Fairchild to a contract Friday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Fairchild went undrafted in April after averaging 31 catches for 447 yards over his final two college seasons with Kansas. The 6-foot-5 tight end will now have a chance to show off his skill set in training camp as he attempts to make the 53-man roster in a depth role. The Saints also signed veteran tight end Kevin Rader on Friday.

Spivey was signed as an undrafted free agent by Kansas City on Friday with tight end Izaiah Gathings being waived, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Spivey failed to get selected in the 2024 NFL Draft after only practicing with Mississippi State in 2023 due to his transfer waiver being denied with the NCAA. The 6-foot-5 tight-end will compete for a reserve tight end spot with the Chiefs after logging 11 receptions for 136 yards and one touchdown in his final season (2022) with TCU.

Speaking Friday, coach Kevin O'Connell said Hockenson (knee, PUP) is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a torn ACL, Joe Nelson of Sports Illustrated reports.

"Every time I see him working on the side field it becomes awful tempting to ... demand answers on when we'll be able to stat implementing him maybe off the PUP list and get him a little bit of work," O'Connell said. "Whether it's just simply individual, some routes on air, start getting him some timing with our quarterbacks. ... Where he's at, albeit very well ahead of maybe where some of the medical folks thought he would be, there is an injury there that a timeline exists and we're going to try to stay true to that while also giving him opportunities to push to maybe shrink that timeline a little bit." Hockenson is just over seven months removed from tearing his ACL on Christmas Eve last year. While O'Connell is excited about his tight end's progress, smart money would still be on Hockenson starting the season on reserve/PUP, knocking him out for at least the first four games of 2024. Making it back in time for Week 1 would be unprecedented territory for an ACL recovery. Josh Oliver is expected to handle TE1 duties for Minnesota for however long Hockenson is sidelined, although Robert Tonyan could serve as formidable competition provided the back spasms he's currently dealing with don't linger.

49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Friday that Thomas is currently missing practice with a hamstring injury, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Thomas signed with San Francisco back in early June after playing out the last four seasons with Washington. The severity of the tight end's hamstring problem has not been disclosed, but more information should be released in the near future.

Coach Kevin O'Connell confirmed Friday that Tonyan is dealing with lower-back spasms.

Tonyan, who was carted off the field Wednesday, didn't practice Friday, but O'Connell hopes to have the tight end back in time for the team's preseason games. Once Tonyan returns to the mix, he'll continue to compete with Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt for added pass-catching opportunities in the Vikings offense while T.J. Hockenson (knee) remains sidelined.

The Broncos signed Kampmoyer on Friday.

Kampmoyer has only ever been with the Chargers in his NFL career, competing mostly on the team's practice squad for much of the last three seasons. The 6-foot-4 tight end has appeared in two career regular-season games but has yet to record a catch. Joining the Broncos could be a necessary change of scenery as the 26-year-old will fight for likely a reserve blocking role ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Murtagh suffered a broken right ankle during Jacksonville's live goal-line drills Friday, Mark Long of the Associated Press reports.

The severity of the 6-foot-6 tight end's ankle break remains unclear, but it was also reported that his ankle needed to be snapped back into place. Murtagh signed with the Jaguars in April through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, but this injury could hurt his chance of getting a roster spot with the team.

The Jets waived Foelsch on Friday.

Foelsch jumped from Carolina to New York in May after just one day with the Panthers, but he'll now search for new horizons as preseason games approach. The New Haven product brought in 32 receptions for 318 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior season.

Stover caught two of three targets for 26 yards in Thursday's 21-17 preseason loss to Chicago.

Stover was the lone healthy tight end remaining after Teagan Quitoriano was carted off the field during the second quarter with what appears to be a knee injury. Neither of the top two tight ends -- Dalton Schultz and Brevin Jordan -- suited up and Dalton Keene was unavailable due to a leg injury. Pending Quitoriano's evaluation, the Texans may look to add a tight end in the coming days. Stover, drafted in the fourth round out of Ohio State in 2024, has history with quarterback C.J. Stroud and should see ample opportunities during preseason contests.