NFL Player News

Atlanta signed Thomas to a contract Thursday, Terrin Waack of the Falcons' official site reports.

Thomas spent the 2023 season on the Browns' practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp, and he spent this past spring playing with the UFL's Birmingham Stallions. The 2018 sixth-round pick last played in the NFL in 2020 with the Cardinals and Patriots, when he appeared in six regular-season games between the two teams.

Sullivan (quadriceps) was placed on injured reserve Thursday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Sullivan will have his 2024 campaign come to an early end with his shift to IR sidelining him for the season. However, he could find another opportunity if he reaches an injury settlement with the team and can prove himself healthy. The LSU product appeared in 11 regular-season games for Carolina last season, recording 12 catches on 24 targets for 125 yards. In a corresponding move, the team signed fellow tight end Curtis Hodges.

Hodges (back) signed a contract with the Panthers on Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Hodges closed out his 2023 campaign on injured reserve with the Commanders, but now that he is fully healthy, he'll get an opportunity with the Panthers. His addition comes as the team placed Stephen Sullivan on IR due to a quadriceps injury.

Allen appears to be ahead of Hunter Long in a competition for the No. 2 TE spot early in the season, according to Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire.

Longtime starter Tyler Higbee is expected to miss the early part of the season, at the very least, after suffering ACL and MCL tears in a playoff loss at Detroit. Free-agent signing Colby Parkinson is on track to take over as the starter, but it isn't clear if he'll play as many snaps as Higbee normally would, potentially opening the door for Allen to have a decent-sized role. The Rams typically don't use multi-TE formations often, so it's also possible Allen gets most of his snaps on special teams even with Higbee out. Either way, the 2023 fifth-round pick has a tricky path to fantasy relevance despite showing some nice flashes late last season when both Higbee and Long were briefly unavailable.

Dolphins TEs coach Jon Embree said Thursday that Smith and Durham Smythe have an every-other-day rotation at training camp, Omar Kelly of The Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins signed Smith this offseason to add a receiving threat, after Smythe drew only 43 targets on 325 routes (13.2 percent) and 786 snaps last year. The two now figure to compete for playing time, and while Smith is of far more interest for fantasy purposes, it's possible the two tight ends end up in a rotation that makes it difficult for either to pile up volume. If nothing else, Smith is the obvious favorite to get playing time in passing situations.

Tonyan, who was carted off the field during Wednesday's practice session, was diagnosed with back spasms, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Tonyan was down on the field for an extended period of time before being carted off, per Lewis. The tight end looks to have avoided a serious injury, though he may be held out of the next few practice sessions until medical staff get a better sense on the severity of the injury. With Tonyan and T.J. Hockenson (knee) both sidelined, Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt should see some reps with the first-team offense during drills.

Mallory didn't participate in Wednesday's practice session due to a hamstring injury, Joel Erickson of The Indianapolis Star reports.

Mallory suffered a hamstring injury in Indianapolis' 2023 finale, but it's unclear if his latest hamstring issue is to the same leg. A return to the practice field in short order is crucial for Mallory, as he's competing with Jelani Woods, Kylen Granson, Mo Alie-Cox and Drew Ogletree for playing time in a deep tight end room that lacks a clear No. 1 option.

Tonyan was carted off the practice field Wednesday with an unspecified injury, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

The tight end can be considered day-to-day until further information is available on the nature of his injury. With T.J. Hockenson still recovering from a knee injury, Josh Oliver, Johnny Mundt and Tonyan are candidates to see added snaps and targets for the Vikings early on this season.

Smith has worked with Kansas City's first-team offense during camp and has been a pleasant surprise for the coaching staff, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Smith disappointed in 2023, as he wasn't able to take hold of the top spot on Cincinnati's depth chart at tight end and finished with just 18 catches for 115 yards and one touchdown across 12 games. He seems to be making a good first impression in Kansas City, as he's proving to be a reliable target in practices on the occasions he's filled in for Travis Kelce on the first-team offense. He's got a real chance to make the Chiefs' 53-man roster and is likely competing with Noah Gray and Jared Wiley for a depth role in the team's tight end room.

Williams (shoulder) returned to individual drills during Wednesday's camp session, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow reports.

It doesn't seem as if Williams is completely health just yet, but he could be nearing a return to full participation after his individual work Wednesday. Expect the UT Martin product to fight for a depth role in the Steelers' tight end room as the preseason continues.