NFL Player News

Smith has been quick to pick up the Bengals offense this spring and is already impressing coach Zac Taylor, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports. "That's the most impressive thing about Irv is how quickly he's picked everything up and even taken on the nuances," Taylor said.

Fellow tight end Drew Sample also had kind words this spring, suggesting that Smith runs smoother routes than former Bengals TEs Hayden Hurst and C.J. Uzomah. Smith split snaps with Kyle Rudolph his first two years in Minnesota and then missed 26 games the past two years, but a late breakout isn't out of the question with the 2019 second-round pick joining a top passing offense for his age-25 season. Sample is the only other tight end on the roster with more than 15 career receptions, and even he caught just 13 passes in 19 games the past two years. Smith may not get an every-down role but should be the team's top pass-catching TE.

Washington drew praise from fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth after minicamp concluded Thursday, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While Washington indicated that he felt as though he had room to grow following minicamp, Freiermuth praised the rookie's abilities. "He's putting it all together. The past two days he's looked really good," Freiermuth said. Washington was selected in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, but he slid due to concerns over medicals. It seems as though he's moved past those concerns for now, and he'll shift his focus toward competing for a role in the Steelers' offense during training camp next month.

The Bills placed Davidson on injured reserve Wednesday with an undisclosed injury, ending his 2023 campaign, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Davidson, a 2021 fifth-round pick by Minnesota, spent the 2022 campaign on the Bills' practice squad and then signed a futures deal with Buffalo in January. However, he'll either miss the entire 2023 campaign or will have to come to an injury settlement with the Bills after apparently suffering an injury at some point during the team's offseason program. Davidson has yet to appear in an NFL regular-season game.

Knox (lower leg) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

The Bills opened a three-day mandatory minicamp Tuesday, but Knox left the initial practice after colliding with safety Kaiir Elam. The tight end was spotted wearing a sleeve on his left leg Wednesday and appeared to be walking without a limp, so for now, Buffalo seems to be exercising caution with Knox. He'll have one more chance to suit up at minicamp Thursday before his focus shifts to getting back to 100 percent health ahead of training camp at the end of July.

Hurst, who had been on the mend from offseason sports hernia surgery, participated in Wednesday's minicamp practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Now that he's back on the field, Hurst -- who signed a three-year deal with the Panthers in March -- is slated to lead Carolina's tight end corps following a 2022 campaign in which he caught 52 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games with the Bengals. As long as he can stay healthy, Hurst should serve as a key short and intermediate target for rookie quarterback Bryce Young, a context that could result in enough volume for Hurst's fantasy stock to see an uptick in 2023.

Pitts (knee) isn't participating in the Falcons' current minicamp, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

That said, coach Arthur Smith noted that Pitts is "trending in (a) positive direction" with regard to training camp. Assuming no setbacks in his recovery from an MCL injury, the 2021 first-rounder is poised to approach the coming season as one of the Falcons' top weapons in an offense that will also feature wideout Drake London and a running attack headed by the combo of Bijan Robinson, Tyler Allgeier and Cordarrelle Patterson. During the 2022 campaign, Pitts logged just 28 catches for 356 yards and two TDs on 59 targets through 10 games, but if he's able to develop good on-field chemistry with presumed starting QB Desmond Ridder, a bounce-back effort could be in store for Pitts in his third season as a pro.

Knox injured his lower left leg during Tuesday's practice, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

As the Bills kicked off mandatory minicamp Tuesday, safety Taylor Rapp broke up a Josh Allen pass directed at Knox, who then took a hit from a late-breaking Kaiir Elam. Knox was tended to by the team's training staff, took some time to get to his feet and didn't rejoin his teammates for on-field work. With two more minicamp sessions to go this week, it wouldn't surprise if Buffalo takes a cautious approach with Knox to ensure he's as healthy as possible for the start of training camp in late July.

Dulcich is healthy for offseason practices and has been making a good impression on new coach Sean Payton, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic reports. "[Dulcich]'s got traits that are exciting," Payton said earlier this month, "and today was one of those days where you begin to have a vision."

Hamstring injuries cost Dulcich the first five games of his rookie season as well as the final two. In between, the 2022 third-round pick emerged as Denver's top pass catcher at tight end, averaging 4.9 targets in QB Russell Wilson's nine starts. Dulcich caught only 60 percent of his targets -- a rather low rate for a TE -- but his 33 receptions included six gains of 20-plus yards and three of 30-plus. While a favorite to lead the team's tight ends in targets again, Dulcich isn't known for blocking and may thus cede a lot of the early down snaps to Adam Trautman, Albert Okwuegbunam and/or Chris Manhertz.

Coach Jonathan Gannon recently declined to elaborate on when Ertz (knee) might return, only saying that the tight end is "chomping at the bit" and will play once he's "physically and mentally" ready, Yahoo's Jess Root reports.

Gannon essentially said the same thing about QB Kyler Murray, who is also rehabbing from a season-ending ACL tear. Murray, of course, will take all the snaps once he's healthy, while Ertz faces competition at tight end from 2022 second-round pick Trey McBride. The Cardinals have incentive to keep both tight ends involved in the offense, given McBride's draft capital and the $8.5 million in guaranteed compensation they're paying Ertz this year. Ertz had surgery in late November to repair ACL and MCL damage in his left knee.

Dissly (knee) has been participating in the Seahawks' mandatory minicamp this week, Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports.

Dissly ended the 2022 campaign on injured reserve with a knee injury, but he avoided surgery and appears to have moved past the issue this offseason. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said at the NFL Combine that Dissly would be ready for training camp, so the tight end is a bit ahead of schedule and should be full go for Week 1. The 2018 fourth-round pick signed a three-year, $24 million extension with Seattle last offseason and caught at least one pass in each of his 15 appearances last year, totaling 34 receptions on 38 targets for 349 yards and three scores.