NFL Player News

Johnson (foot) ran on a side field at Wednesday's practice, Jeff Nowak of The Big 870 New Orleans reports.

While it's still unclear whether Johnson will be ready to play by Week 1, his quick return to physical activity after mid-June surgery at least suggests his foot injury was relatively minor and not something more serious like a Jones fracture.

Head coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Kraft (pectoral) is nearing a return to practice, Paul Brettel of 105.5 ESPN La Crosse reports.

LaFleur said the tight end has been asking every day if he can return to practice, but the Packers are known to be cautious with injuries and aren't likely to make an exception for him. Kraft suffered a pectoral tear during the offseason, after coming on strong late in 2023 when fellow rookie tight end Luke Musgrave missed time with a kidney injury. It's unclear if Musgrave and Kraft will compete for the starting job or work in a timeshare this season, and there's little-to-no chance of both having fantasy value at the same time, given Green Bay's wealth of talent at wide receiver.

Hendershot (ankle) was seen participating in 7-on-7 drills at practice Friday, Nick Harris and Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Hendershot missed nine regular-season games in 2023 due to a lingering ankle injury, and he opted to undergo surgery in February. The third-year tight end out of Indiana appears to have fully recovered from the procedure, and he looks to be competing with John Stephens for the No. 3 tight end role behind Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker.

The Jets signed Firkser to a contract Tuesday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

After being let go by the Patriots during training camp last August, Firsker caught on with the Lions' practice squad in October. He appeared in the Lions' final five games of the season, including their three playoff games after Sam LaPorta injured his knee in Week 18. Firkser's ability to play both tight end and fullback could give him a leg up on tight ends Kenny Yeboah and Zack Kuntz to make the 53-man roster.

Calcaterra is considered to be the leading candidate for the No. 2 spot at tight end with the Eagles in 2024, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Calcaterra has impressed in the early going at Philadelphia's training camp, distancing himself from the pack as the top reserve option behind Dallas Goedert at tight end. The 25-year-old reeled in all four of his targets for 39 yards over 15 contests with the Eagles in 2023 and he'll look to carve out a more substantial role on the offense in his third year in the league.

The Steelers signed Sokol to a contract Tuesday, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.

The move corresponds with Pittsburgh cutting wide receiver Marquez Callaway. Sokol was a member of the Patriots' practice squad in 2023 and appeared in the final three games of the regular season, playing 14 snaps on offense and six snaps on special teams. Sokol will look to crack the Steelers' 53-man roster as a depth tight end behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Cager has not participated in training camp due to a hamstring injury, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Head coach Brian Daboll noted before practice Tuesday that Cager will be out indefinitely while working through his hamstring injury, per John Fennelly of USAToday.com. Following the retirement of Darren Waller, Cager has spent the offseason competing for a depth spot at tight end behind presumptive starter Daniel Bellinger. Cager played in 11 regular-season games with the Giants in 2023, finishing with four catches for 36 yards and one touchdown while playing 94 snaps on offense and 138 snaps on special teams.

Trautman (abdomen) has been participating in training camp.

Trautman is past an abdominal issue that hampered him during the offseason, allowing him to compete for slotting on the Broncos' tight end depth chart ahead of Week 1. Greg Dulcich and Lucas Krull are also in the mix, and while Trautman is a strong blocker, his upside as a receiver is limited after he produced a 22-204-3 line in 17 regular-season contests with Denver in 2023.

Johnson took a majority of first-team reps at Monday's practice, Gabriel Trevino of NJ.com reports.

It's a bit surprising given that Johnson is a rookie fourth-round pick and was just activated from the active/PUP list a day earlier after missing the first few days of training camp with a hip injury. On the other hand, there's not much reason to slow-play his development when the likely alternative at tight end is third-year pro Daniel Bellinger, who struggled with blocking the past two seasons while getting just 63 targets on 512 routes (12.3 percent). Johnson never reached even 350 receiving yards in a season at Penn State, but he has prototypical speed (4.57 combine 40) and size (6-foot-6, 259 pounds) for an NFL tight end.

Johnson (knee) jogged and worked off to the side during Monday's practice, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Johnson was first spotted at training camp Friday, and while he hasn't progressed to sprinting or anything along those lines, his presence on the field less than a month and a half after foot surgery suggests the rehab process is going well. He seemingly suffered the injury during June minicamp, with reports at the time calling the tight end uncertain for Week 1. That's probably still accurate, as he remains on the active/PUP list with six weeks to go until the Saints' season opener against Carolina on Sunday, Sept. 8.