NFL Player News

Carolina signed Matthews to its practice squad Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Matthews sustained a torn ACL in August of 2022 that forced him out for the entirety of last season, but he'll now be back in pads with the Panthers. Carolina already holds three healthy tight ends on its active roster, so it would be somewhat surprising to see Matthews elevated in the near future.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Wednesday that Woods (hamstring) is "getting closer" to a return to practice, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Woods was placed on injured reserve in advance of Week 1, but the 2022 third-round pick looks to be inching toward his season debut. Assuming Woods is activated off IR in the coming weeks, he would re-enter a crowed Colts tight end corps that also includes Kylen Granson (concussion), Drew Ogletree, Mo Alie-Cox and Will Mallory.

Morris (ankle) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Buccaneers.

With Dawson Knox (wrist) also sidelined, Dalton Kincaid is the lone healthy tight end on the Bills' 53-man roster at the moment, though Joel Wilson will presumably be elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday's game. Morris' next chance to see game action will arrive Nov. 5 against the Bengals.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said Wednesday that Knox (wrist) is ruled out for Thursday's game against the Buccaneers, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Knox's absence for the Week 8 game comes as little surprise, with McDermott confirming that the tight end underwent surgery on his right wrist Tuesday and is "recovering at the moment," per Getzenberg. With Quintin Morris (ankle) also out for Thursday, Dalton Kincaid is currently Buffalo's only healthy tight end on the active roster, though Joel Wilson is available to come up off the practice squad. The next chance for Knox to take the field will come Nov. 5 versus the Bengals, but it's unclear if he'll be fully cleared from his wrist procedure by then.

Smith reeled in all three of his targets for 27 yards in Sunday's 16-13 win over the Buccaneers.

Smith's three targets, three catches and 27 yards were all low marks for the tight end since Week 2 after he wasn't targeted in the season opener. Despite a disappointing outing, the veteran has been a consistent option in the Falcons' passing game. Smith played 35 of the Falcons' 65 offensive snaps Sunday, while fellow tight end Kyle Pitts finished the contest with 34 snaps. The 28-year-old will look to stay involved and remain one of the top options in the passing attack when the Falcons visit the Titans in Week 8.

The Steelers cut Gindorff from the practice squad Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Gindorff joined the Steelers' practice squad on Oct. 4 after being let go by the Seahawks on Aug. 17. He wasn't called up to the active roster in his short stint in Pittsburgh, and the undrafted tight end out of North Dakota State will explore his options should he clear waivers.

The Saints waived Holtz from their practice squad Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Holtz was called up to the Saints' active roster for their Week 6 contest against the Texans, though he failed to record a stat in nine snaps. He'll explore his options once he clears waivers.

The Raiders cut Togiai (undisclosed) from the practice squad injured list with an injury settlement Tuesday.

Togiai joined the Raiders' practice squad on Oct. 2 after spending last season on the Eagles' practice squad. The nature of his injury is unclear, but once he's fully recovered, he'll look to catch on to a practice squad.

The Raiders cut Shenker from the practice squad Tuesday.

Shenker has bounced on and off the Raiders' roster since joining the team as an undrafted free agent on May 13. The rookie tight end out of Auburn could look to return to Las Vegas or look for opportunities elsewhere.

Pitts reeled in three of four targets for 47 yards during Sunday's 16-13 win at Tampa Bay.

For a third consecutive contest, Pitts logged fewer than 60 percent of the snaps (52, to be precise) after earning at least that many in the first four games of the season. His target count also tied his second fewest in a game through seven weeks, resulting in his sixth performance with less than 50 yards to date. Fellow tight end Jonnu Smith notched one more snap than Pitts (35-34) on Sunday en route to three catches (on three targets) for 27 yards. As long as Pitts continues to split the workload at the position, he'll be tough to warrant weekly lineup consideration in a number of formats.