NFL Player News

The Vikings acquired Hockenson, a 2023 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick from the Lions on Tuesday in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

With Irv Smith expected to miss time due to a high-ankle sprain, the NFC North-leading Vikings swung a deal with one of their division rivals to secure a high-quality replacement in Hockenson, who should sit atop the tight end depth chart even after Smith returns. Hockenson had been the co-No. 2 option in the passing game for Detroit this season behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and was off to a strong start through seven games, producing a 26-395-3 line on 43 targets. He joins a similar situation in a Minnesota passing game dominated by another elite receiver in Justin Jefferson, but it's conceivable Hockenson could quickly challenge Adam Thielen (knee) for the No. 2 role. The tight end is due $9.39 million in 2023 after Detroit exercised his fifth-year team option earlier this year, but the Vikings could look to negotiate a longer-term extension with Hockenson next spring depending on how he performs over the back half of this season.

Brown was not targeted over 25 snaps in Monday's 32-13 win over the Bengals.

Brown moved up to second on the tight end depth chart due to David Njoku (ankle) being inactive, and his snap count was his highest since joining the Browns. Cleveland was able to run its offense, which meant a low-volume passing attack that resulted in no tight ends being targeted.

Bryant was not targeted among 53 snaps in Monday's 32-13 win over the Bengals in Week 8.

Bryant took on the role as the primary tight end, as David Njoku (ankle) was inactive for the game. Njoku is typically a key part of the passing attack, but Bryant wasn't needed for that Monday. That's largely due to the Browns playing according to plan; Cleveland had a season-high 44 rushing attempts and a season-low 23 passes. Bryant enters the bye week with 14 catches on 21 targets for 114 yards.

Hurst caught all four of his targets for 42 yards in Monday's 32-13 loss to the Browns.

Hurst finished fourth on the team in targets behind Joe Mixon (nine), Tee Higgins (six) and Tyler Boyd (five). Even in Ja'Marr Chase's (hip) absence, Hurst will likely remain the fourth option for quarterback Joe Burrow. The tight end's season high is a modest 53 yards, though Hurst has topped 40 yards four times heading into Cincinnati's Week 9 home game against the Panthers.

Swaim was not targeted in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Texans.

Swaim continued his quiet season, though that was hardly a surprise given that Malik Willis attempted only 10 passes on the day. Swaim now has zero catches in four of seven games for the campaign while serving primarily as a blocker for Tennessee.

Hooper recorded one catch on one target for five yards in Sunday's 17-10 win over the Texans.

The Titans went to an extremely run-heavy approach with Malik Willis under center, who attempted only 10 passes in the game. As a result, no Titans pass catcher tallied more than two receptions or 26 yards in the contest. Hooper now has recorded single-digit receiving yards in four of seven games on the campaign.

Johnson notched two receptions (on four targets) for 14 yards over 47 offensive snaps during Sunday's 24-0 win against Las Vegas.

Johnson played as one of the Saints' top receiving options and caught a pass on two of the team's first three offensive series Sunday. With wide receivers Michael Thomas (foot) and Jarvis Landry (ankle) still sidelined, the 6-foot-4 tight end finished third on the team in targets behind running back Alvin Kamara (10) and wideout Chris Olave (seven). Johnson also saw the bulk of New Orleans' snaps at tight end ahead of Nick Vannett (37) and J.P. Holtz (13), as Adam Trautman (ankle) missed his second game in a row. The 26-year-old Johnson should continue to attract a consistent share of the Saints' targets so long as Thomas and Landry remain out.

Tremble caught two of four targets for 17 yards in Sunday's 37-34 overtime loss to the Falcons.

Tremble played two offensive snaps more than fellow tight end Ian Thomas, who caught just one pass for two yards. While the second-year Tremble holds higher upside as a pass-catcher than Thomas, neither Carolina tight end holds much fantasy value.

Thomas caught his only target for two yards in Sunday's 37-34 overtime loss to the Falcons.

Thomas and Tommy Tremble had nearly identical snap counts, yet the second-year pro finished with two grabs on four looks for 17 yards. With only four multi-catch outings this season, however, Thomas' spare usage in the passing game shouldn't come as a surprise.

The Chargers designated Smartt (undisclosed) to return from the reserve/non-football injury list Monday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Smartt began the campaign on the NFI list due to an undisclosed injury, but it appears he could return to action before too long. With the move, the Chargers open a 21-day window for the tight end to be added to the active roster, but if he isn't, he'll revert back to the NFI list for the remainder of the campaign.