NFL Player News

Bartholomew saw one target in Saturday's preseason opener against the Giants.

The tight end logged 31 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps in the contest. Bartholomew was in for 18 offensive plays but was unable to snag a reception. The 23-year-old will likely remain behind Ben Yurosek on the depth chart as the two head into their sophomore seasons with the Vikings.

Kittle (Achilles) said Sunday that he's "very confident" he won't start the season on the reserve/PUP list and that he's still got a chance to play Week 1 versus the Rams, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle is recovering from a torn Achilles suffered on Jan. 11, and he's maintained this offseason that he'll be ready for the Week 1 opener versus the Rams in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, Sept. 10. He added that the decision about whether he'll play Week 1 should be made before the 49ers depart for their international game versus the Rams, per Wagoner. The soon-to-be 33-year-old recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns in 2023 and 2024, but he tallied 628 yards on 57 catches across 11 appearances during the 2025 regular season. When healthy, Kittle should still be a key target for San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, especially after wide receiver Ricky Pearsall underwent a season-ending surgery to repair his PCL this August.

The Titans placed Kanak (pectoral) on injured reserve Sunday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Kanah suffered a season-ending pectoral injury in Thursday's preseason opener against the 49ers. The rookie seventh-rounder will now have to wait until 2027 for a potential pro debut. The Titans signed tight end Matt Lauter in a corresponding move.

The Titans signed Lauter to a contract Sunday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Lauter was waived by the Raiders in early May. The undrafted free agent out of Boise State was signed to fill a depth spot in the Titans' tight end corps that was vacated by Jaren Kanak (pectoral). Lauter's signing is a corresponding move to Kanak's placement on season-ending injured reserve, and he will likely only fulfill a meaningful role until the preseason concludes.

Bates (hamstring) is set to begin practicing Tuesday, Zach Selby of the Commanders' official site reports.

Bates suffered a hamstring injury in late July and has not practiced since the issue developed. The tight end is recovering well and is set to see at least a limited practice session Tuesday. While Bates has been absent, Ben Sinnott has been expanding his route tree in the hopes of obtaining the No. 2 tight end role. Bates will need to prove he can maintain his position behind Chig Okonkwo as he works his way back the remainder of the preseason.

Kraft said Sunday that he expects the Packers to limit his reps "probably until halfway through the season," Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Kraft has been trending toward returning Week 1 following a season-ending torn ACL suffered during Week 9 of the 2025 campaign, and he also returned to 11-on-11 drills for the first time Sunday. The fourth-year tight end added that he's hoping not to be on a rep count for the regular-season opener, per Demovsky, so it'll be worth monitoring his status leading into that game versus the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13. Kraft played at least 88 percent of the Packers' offensive snaps in each of their first seven games before going down last year. He finished with 32 catches for 489 yards and six touchdowns over eight contests in 2025. Kraft also was asked whether he expects a new contract by Week 1, saying "that's the goal," according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.

Royer (personal) did not play in Saturday's preseason opener against the Bears, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.

There are no updates on the fifth-round rookie's issue and it is unclear when he might return to the team. Royer was set to be the No. 2 tight end behind Harold Fannin. In the 24-year-old's absence, Blake Whiteheart, Brenden Bates and fellow rookie Carsen Ryan have been competing for the No. 2 reps.

The Texans signed Hansen to a contract Sunday.

Hansen's signing is likely to add tight end depth after Brevin Jordan (knee) suffered an injury during last Friday's training camp session. Hansen likely will get a few reps in the remaining preseason games before cut-down day. The tight end's first chance to make an impact will be Thursday's contest against the Raiders.

Hockenson played five snaps on offense and didn't show up in the box score otherwise during the Vikings' 13-10 preseason win over the Giants on Saturday.

Hockenson saw the least amount of offensive snaps among Vikings tight ends Saturday, with Bryson Nesbit (25) leading the position group in that category. Hockenson is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he logged 51 catches (on 66 targets) for 438 yards and three touchdowns across 15 regular-season games. He hasn't been the same player since his career year in 2023, which ended in late December by a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee. The Vikings added wide receiver Jauan Jennings in the offseason to be the WR3 behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and while that may reduce Hockenson's target share, he's still the top tight end on the depth chart, with Josh Oliver and Ben Yurosek operating in complementary roles.

Head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Kraft (knee) will participate in 11-on-11 team drills during Sunday's training camp practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Kraft opened training camp on the active/PUP list but has slowly increased his workload over the course of the last couple of weeks. His clearance to work in team drills is another positive step in his recovery from a torn ACL that he sustained in Week 9 of the 2025 season. Kraft is unlikely to play in either of the Packers' last two preseason games but appears to be on track to suit up Week 1 against the Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13.