NFL Player News

Njoku (undisclosed) participated in his first training camp practice Saturday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku missed the first two days of training camp with an undisclosed injury, but the team never indicated the matter was overly serious. The big-bodied tight end is now poised to build off a stellar second half of the 2023 season, when he registered 50 receptions, 598 receiving yards and four touchdowns over the Browns' final eight games including the playoffs.

Cannella will be signing with Tampa Bay, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Cannella has yet to play an NFL snap since ending his college career in 2019, but he's had some success in the XFL/UFL, most notably leading the UFL with six receiving touchdowns while racking up 496 receiving yards (fifth-most in the league) on 53 receptions (third-most) with Arlington this spring. Cannella will look to earn a roster spot among a Tampa Bay TE corps that is headed by Cade Otton, who played over 90 percent of the team's offensive snaps last season.

The Panthers signed Franks on Friday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Franks had a tryout with Carolina on Monday, and he impressed the organization enough to get a contract. The 26-year-old spent the previous three seasons with Atlanta, though he was on injured reserve all of last year due to an undisclosed issue. Franks is presumably now healthy, and he'll look to make a positive impression in training camp with the aim of competing for a roster spot.

Gesicki already seems to have good chemistry with QB Joe Burrow, SI's James Rapien reports.

It sounds like the tight end is getting a lot of first-team reps early in training camp, which wasn't a sure thing after he had only 244 yards for the Patriots last season and then got only $240,000 guaranteed this spring on his one-year, $2.5 million contract with the Bengals. It's backup money by most standards, yet enough to make Gesicki a starting candidate in a TE room where the other veteran options are Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson. The Bengals also have two rookie draft picks, fourth-rounder Erick All (knee) and sixth-rounder Tanner McLachlan, but Gesicki is shaping up as an early favorite to lead the team's tight ends in targets.

Njoku worked on the side during Thursday's practice with an undisclosed injury, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

There's nothing to indicate the nature of the injury or if this was merely a veteran getting an easy first day of camp. Njoku looks to build off a breakout campaign in 2023, when he had career highs in targets (123), catches (81), yards (882) and touchdowns (six). Competition for targets will be even greater in 2024 with Jerry Jeudy (leg) added to the roster.

Bellinger (undisclosed) has been cleared to practice at the start of Giants training camp this week, Dan Salomone of the team's official website reports.

Bellinger missed some work during the spring with an undisclosed injury, but he's ready to roll for the start of training camp. Following the retirement of Darren Waller earlier this summer, Bellinger is penciled in atop the depth chart at tight end for the G-Men. Bellinger has 55 catches for 523 yards and two touchdowns through two NFL seasons and is unlikely to factor into the TE1 fantasy discussion after going scoreless on 25 grabs last year. Rookie Theo Johnson (hip, PUP) will also be in the mix at the position for New York.

Schoonmaker (hamstring) has been cleared for the start of Cowboys camp, Nick Harris of the team's official website reports.

Schoonmaker underwent shoulder surgery following last season and then picked up a hamstring injury that caused him to miss the entirety of OTAs. He's now healthy, and the 2023 second-round pick has the inside track to No. 2 tight end duties behind Jake Ferguson in Dallas. Schoonmaker caught just eight balls for 65 yards and two touchdowns across 17 regular-season games last season, spanning 368 offensive snaps.

Coach Dave Canales said Thursday that Tremble is managing hamstring tightness, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Canales said the Panthers are taking some precautionary measures with Tremble, to try and prevent worsening the state of his hamstring. At this point, there's no indication the fourth-year pro will have to miss significant time, with his next real target for return being Carolina's preseason opener against New England on August 8. Tremble is competing with rookie fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders and veteran holdover Ian Thomas for standing in the tight end pecking order.

Dulcich (hamstring) participated in practice Wednesday, Ryan McFadden of The Denver Post reports.

Per McFadden, Dulcich made his mark during Wednesday's session by making a couple of nice catches during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Dulcich was limited to just two appearances in 2023 as he dealt with hamstring and foot issues, but if he's able to stay clear of significant injury concerns ahead of Week 1, the 2022 third-round pick has a chance to carve out a key pass-catching role in a Denver tight end corps that also features Adam Trautman and Lucas Krull.

Giants general manager Joe Schoen said Wednesday that Johnson (hip) should return to practice soon, Patricia Traina of SI.com reports.

The rookie fourth-round pick is on the PUP list for the start of training camp, slightly delaying what looks to be a fantastic opportunity. The Giants have one of the weakest tight end groups in the league after Darren Waller's retirement this summer, potentially giving Johnson a chance to compete with third-year pro Daniel Bellinger for a starting job. Those two may be the only tight ends on the roster with every-down potential, as Jack Stoll and Chris Manhertz are veteran blocking specialists, while Lawrence Cager and Tyree Jackson profile as oversized slot receivers. None of the bunch has ever caught more than 34 passes in a season at the NFL or college levels.