NFL Player News

Freiermuth (knee) has been practicing during OTAs this offseason, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Freiermuth sustained an MCL sprain during the Steelers' regular-season finale in January, but he appears to be back to full health now that the team has begun offseason activities. The 24-year-old enters the 2023 campaign as Pittsburgh's clear No. 1 tight end after securing 63 of 98 targets for 732 yards and two touchdowns last season.

FitzPatrick (undisclosed) was spotted participating in team drills last Wednesday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

After missing the entire 2022 NFL season with an undisclosed injury, the big-bodied tight end is back on the field with no restrictions. FitzPatrick was a 2022 sixth-round pick by Atlanta and is expected to compete with Feleipe Franks and Parker Hesse for a depth role on the 53-man roster.

The Commanders signed Dillon on Tuesday.

Dillon appeared in five games for the Vikings between 2019 and 2021, totaling just one reception for six yards. However, despite bouncing around a few organizations, he hasn't appeared in a regular-season NFL game since. The undrafted tight end out of Marian figures to be a long shot to make Washington's Week 1 roster, but he will provide some depth to a position group that recently lost Armani Rogers (Achilles) for the entire 2023 campaign.

Hooper could slide to No. 2 on the depth chart after the Raiders selected fellow tight end Michael Mayer with the 35th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Vic Tafur of TheAthletic.com reports.

Hooper originally faced little competition for the top job at tight end when he signed with Las Vegas in March after the team dealt Darren Waller to the Giants, but Mayer projects to vulture first-team reps sooner rather than later. The rookie's introduction limits the ceiling on Hooper's fantasy outlook, and 2017 first rounder O.J. Howard could factor into the TE mix as well.

Akins was on the field for Cleveland's organized team activities this week, Anthony Poisal of the Browns' official site reports.

Akins signed with the Browns during the offseason and acknowledged that reuniting with quarterback Deshaun Watson as a primary reason. The two played three seasons together in Houston. The Browns placed plenty of offseason focus on improving targets for Watson, and the 6-foot-6 Akins brings familiarity and serves as a red-zone threat. Akins is expected to back up David Njoku at tight end.

The Broncos waived Thedford (undisclosed) with an injury settlement Wednesday, Chris Tomasson of The Denver Gazette reports.

Thedford was previously waived by the Lions in August of 2021, and he did not ink another contract elsewhere until signing with Denver in January. The exact nature of the 26-year-old's injury is still unknown, leaving it unclear when or if he'll be healthy enough to earn a new contract this offseason.

Pitts (knee) isn't practicing this week, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

Pitts spent the winter rehabbing from November surgery on a Grade 2 MCL sprain, and given the typical return timeline it's possible he's already back to full strength and is just absent from voluntary OTAs or being brought along cautiously. Earlier reports had him on schedule in the recovery process, and Falcons coach Arthur Smith said this week that he expects all the players absent from practice this week to be ready for training camp. The knee is probably less of a concern than how Pitts fits in Smith's run-heavy offense, after he dropped from 60.4 yards per game and 9.4 per target as a rookie to 35.6 YPG and 6.0 YPT last season. The Falcons will continue running often after using the eighth overall pick on RB Bijan Robinson, but it's at least a safe assumption that whatever passing volume they have will largely go to Pitts and WR Drake London. It's harder to say if the trio of top-10 picks -- one from each of the past three drafts -- can help second-year QB Desmond Ridder become an efficient passer.

Woods is dealing with a hamstring injury, George Bremer of The Anderson Herald Bulletin reports.

Gardner Minshew and Anthony Richardson are without some of their pass catchers Thursday for 7-on-7s, as Woods and WR Josh Downs (knee) are injured while WR Michael Pittman is absent for the birth of his child. A 2022 third-round pick, Woods did well with his limited chances in a timeshare last season and could take over more snaps from Mo Alie-Cox and/or Kylen Granson in 2013. The Colts did add blocking specialist Pharaoh Brown and fifth-round pick Will Mallory, but they probably pose more of a threat to Alie-Cox and Granson, respectively.

Firkser signed a contract with the Patriots on Thursday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Firkser appeared in 11 games for the Falcons last season after spending the first four years of his career with the Titans. The 28-year-old finished his 2022 campaign with nine catches on 13 targets for 100 yards. With the Patriots, Firkser will seek to secure a depth tight end role behind the team's top two options at the position, Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.

Rogers was diagnosed Wednesday with a torn Achilles' tendon is slated to undergo surgery next week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per Rapoport, an MRI confirmed that Rogers suffered damage to his Achilles during Tuesday's OTA practice.The 25-year-old tight end, who caught five balls on six targets for 64 yards in 11 games last season, was expected to compete for a depth spot in a position group that also includes Logan Thomas, John Bates, Cole Turner and Curtis Hodges. While Rogers is expected to make a full recovery from his upcoming surgery, he'll likely miss the entire 2023 season.