NFL Player News

Kittle (groin) is recovered from his core-muscle surgery, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

Kittle has been a full participant on the practice field at his Tight End University offseason workouts. He founded the three-day camp with fellow tight ends Travis Kelce and the now-retired Greg Olsen. Kittle played through a groin injury last season before undergoing core-muscle surgery in the offseason. He had previously stated his intentions to be ready for training camp, and it appears the star tight end is on track to do just that. He projects to again be a top fantasy option at his position in 2024.

New Orleans signed Horsted to a contract Friday.

Horsted finished last season on the Raiders' injured reserve list due to a hamstring issue, but he's presumably now healthy. The tight end was limited mostly to special-teams work with Las Vegas in 2023, logging eight offensive snaps and catching his only target for four yards while recording 216 special-teams snaps. Horsted's signing will help fill the void left by Juwan Johnson's foot injury. Johnson is set for surgery but could still be ready for the start of the regular season.

Leonard suffered a minor hamstring injury before reaching an injury settlement with the Broncos on Thursday, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.

Leonard signed as an undrafted free agent with Denver May 11 but was waived with an injury settlement Thursday. The nature of the tight end's injury was undisclosed at that time and has now been revealed to be a minor hamstring issue. Since Leonard isn't dealing with a serious injury, he should be able to join another organization this season if presented an offer.

Trautman did not participate in Denver's mandatory minicamp Wednesday due to an abdomen injury, Jon Heath of USA Today reports.

Coach Sean Payton said Trautman's injury isn't too serious and won't need surgery, calling it "basically a sprain." The fifth-year pro thus appears on track for the start of training camp late July. Trautman projects to contribute as a rotational part of the Broncos' tight-end corps behind Greg Dulcich (foot/hamstring), though the latter is still working toward a return to the field.

The Broncos waived Leonard (undisclosed) with an injury settlement Thursday, Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post reports.

The 6-foot-5 tight end went undrafted out of Georgia Tech this past offseason before being picked up by the Broncos. Both the nature and severity of Leonard's injury are currently unknown, but he will be able to sign elsewhere once he proves that he's medically ready to return to the field.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday that Ferguson is "having a great offseason" and praised the tight end's "consistency and his passion," Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Ferguson, a 2022 fourth-round pick, enjoyed a real breakout season as Dallas' top tight end last season, with a 71-761-5 receiving line and Pro Bowl honors. The third-year pro is now reportedly improving at multiple facets of the game, and he could be positioned to take the next step forward as a fantasy producer. Dak Prescott's clear top target will be CeeDee Lamb, with Brandin Cooks working as the No. 2 wideout, but at this stage 2023 second-rounder Luke Schoonmaker (hamstring) doesn't look like a true threat to Ferguson's workload.

Holker, who signed a one-year contract with $235,000 guaranteed with the Saints after the 2024 NFL Draft, is a name to monitor with Juwan Johnson (foot) in need of surgery, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Holker's odds of earning a roster spot improve substantially with Johnson facing a long period on the sidelines, and not being a guarantee to be ready for Week 1. Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill will likely handle the majority of first-team reps this offseason with Johnson recovering, but neither are a perfect match for his pass-catching role. Holker, though, is a clear move tight end and racked up a 64-767-6 receiving line in his senior season at Colorado State.

Johnson will have foot surgery next week and be out for a while, but he has a chance to be ready for the start of the season, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Johnson seemingly suffered the injury during June minicamp and now figures to miss most or all of training camp and the preseason. His upcoming absence will leave more first-team reps for Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill, neither of whom is a clean fit for Johnson's role as the passing-down tight end. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports that the Saints are working out TE Sal Cannella, who starred in the UFL this spring and led the league's tight ends in yards (496) and touchdowns (six).

Johnson recently suffered a lower leg injury and is expected to miss "a good amount of time," Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Details on the injury haven't been reported, with Underhill only noting that he hasn't heard that the injury will impact Johnson's availability for the start of the regular season. It sounds like Johnson may not be ready for the start of training camp, in which case Foster Moreau and Taysom Hill likely would get more snaps with the first-team offense. A calf injury cost Johnson four games last season, and he generally had a quiet year until exploding over the final four weeks for 216 yards and three touchdowns on 24 targets. Prior to that, he had 152 yards and one TD in nine games.

Rogers (Achilles) was spotted on the field last week participating during the Commanders' OTAs, Bryan Manning of USA Today reports.

Rogers missed the entire 2023 campaign due to a torn Achilles' tendon, but he looks to be healthy again and ready to compete for a roster spot heading into the 2024 season. The 26-year-old appeared in 11 games in 2022, catching five of his six targets for 64 yards while playing 375 total snaps (158 on offense).