NFL Player News

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.

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.