NFL Player News

Helm signed a contract with the Lions on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Helm will get a new opportunity after he was waived by the Falcons in May. The Duke product last appeared in an NFL game in 2021 with the Raiders, appearing in nine contests that season and mostly contributing on special teams.

Smith has been held out of practice this week with a minor injury but should return soon, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith said Wednesday that "at worst" the tight end would return for joint practices with Miami ahead of the two teams' Aug. 11 preseason opener. The Falcons haven't revealed how they plan on deploying Smith in an offense that also has tight end Kyle Pitts, but Atlanta presumably have a significant role in mind for Smith after acquiring the soon-to-be 28-year-old in a trade with New England this offseason. Granted, a significant real-life role is unlikely to equate to fantasy value, unless maybe Pitts misses a chunk of the season again.

Jordan's early exit from Sunday's practice was due to a hamstring injury, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jordan and Dalton Schultz (ribs) both left practice Sunday, while Teagan Quitoriano (quadriceps) began training camp on the active/PUP list, leaving the Texans thin at tight end. Soft-tissue injuries have a tendency to linger, so Houston will likely take a cautious approach with Jordan to ensure he's healthy before the Sept. 10 regular-season opener against the Ravens.

Mayer stood out while making his fair share of catches during Monday's practice, according to Levi Edwards of the Raiders' official site.

Per Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, Mayer still needs to improve on his blocking, but the 2023 second-rounder's pass-catching ability figures to lead to a role in the Raiders' offense from the get-go this season. With the team having traded Darren Waller to the Giants in March, there are TE snaps and targets available for both Mayer and free-agent addition Austin Hooper. While a timeshare figures to be in play early on, it's quite plausible that the rookie's fantasy utility increases as the campaign progresses.

Coach Jonathan Gannon said Tuesday that McBride is dealing with undisclosed "nicks and bruises," Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Like wide receiver Marquise Brown (undisclosed), McBride has a health concern that is impacting his practice reps. With Zach Ertz currently on the active/PUP list as he continues his recovery from late November knee surgery, McBride is the Cardinals' No. 1 tight end, at least if he's healthy. Behind McBride, Noah Togiai and Geoff Swaim are the only TEs on the roster with NFL snaps on their resumes.

Smith was waived by the Colts on Tuesday.

Smith sighed with the Colts in May after being waived by the Giants due to a failed physical in March. He'll now have to look to find an opportunity elsewhere.

Akins (knee) is not practicing Tuesday, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Akins has been out of action since Friday while he tends to a knee injury, and it's not clear how much more time he may miss. Once healthy, the 31-year-old is expected to compete for a role behind projected starter David Njoku.

Henry has been QB Mac Jones' "go-to-guy in the red zone" during training camp, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

While Henry has some new competition for targets in the form of free-agent addition Mike Gesicki, the 28-year-old Henry has been making plays in training camp, especially around the end zone, per Mark Daniels of Masslive.com. Although the Patriots list Henry at 258 pounds, the tight end indicates that he approached this summer weighing somewhere around the high 240s, and it looks like he's playing faster, per Daniels. Though the presence of Gesicki figures to impact Henry's target volume, there figures to be room for both players to maintain a degree of fantasy utility, and in Henry's case that could be especially so in TD-friendly formats.

Pitts (knee) ran routes against defenders Monday for the first time this summer, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

The Falcons are easing Pitts into training camp after last year's MCL injury, with coach Arthur Smith noting Monday that the tight end is on track with his "return to play" plan. Smith also suggested Pitts could take snaps this preseason, though it'll nonetheless be surprising if the 2021 first-round pick makes more than a token appearance in exhibition games. Concern regarding Pitts' fantasy prospects for 2023 has more to do with his lack of production last year before getting hurt than any doubt about his Week 1 status; at this point it seems he's healthy and the Falcons are just being cautious.

McDonald was waived by the Packers on Tuesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

McDonald joined Green Bay as an undrafted free agent out of Florida State in May. After starting camp on the non-football injury list, he did manage to pass a physical and get back out on the field Wednesday. However, he'll now have to work to find an opportunity elsewhere.