NFL Player News

Wilcox (ankle) was running on the side rehab field during Wednesday's practice, Paul Dehner and Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Wilcox suffered an ankle injury during the Bengals' preseason opener and has remained sidelined since. While his return to running is a great sign, it's unclear when he'll be ready for game action. Drew Sample (shoulder) returned to padded practice Wednesday, so he appears to be a step ahead of Wilcox in his rehab. If healthy, both tight ends are expected to operate as backups to newcomer Hayden Hurst.

Sample (knee) returned to practice Wednesday, Paul Dehner and Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Sample had to be carted off the practice field after suffering a knee injury at the beginning of August, but the details of the issue were never released. He was spotted with a brace and crutches later in the week, and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he'd be sidelined for a couple of weeks. The 2019 second-round pick sat out the entire preseason, but he appears to be ramping up after garnering pads for the first time since the initial injury. If healthy, Sample is expected to be the primary backup to newcomer Hayden Hurst to start the season.

The Steelers signed Rigg to their practice squad Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Rigg was waived by the Bengals ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline, but he quickly found a new home in Pittsburgh via the practice squad. The undrafted rookie out of Kentucky was solid during his first NFL training camp and caught a three-yard touchdown during the Bengals' preseason finale.

The Chiefs signed Blanton to their practice squad Thursday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Blanton was waived by the Commanders ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline but has found a new home in Kansas City via the practice squad. The 26-year-old tight end appeared in 11 games for the Rams last year and caught four of seven targets for 37 yards across 144 offensive snaps.

The Bengals signed Bowers to their practice squad Thursday.

Bowers was waived by Las Vegas ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline, but he's latched on in Cincinnati via the practice squad. The undrafted tight end out of Penn State joined the Raiders in 2020 and spent the entire campaign on the practice squad. He made his NFL debut with Las Vegas in 2021, totaling 39 offensive snaps across five appearances.

The Giants released Seals-Jones (toe) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Thursday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Seals-Jones was slated to miss the entire 2022 campaign after being placed on IR, but he'll now be free to join a new team once he clears his current toe issue. The 27-year-old tight end appeared in 13 games for Washington last year and caught 30 of 49 targets for 271 yards and two scores.

The Titans signed Odukoya to their practice squad Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Odukoya was waived ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline, but he's rejoined the organization via the practice squad. The 6-foot-6 tight end caught 13 passes for 130 yards across 13 appearances during his final collegiate campaign at Eastern Michigan and initially joined Tennessee in May as part of the NFL International Player Pathway Program.

The Titans signed Rader to their practice squad Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Rader was waived by the Steelers ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline and has latched on with the Titans via the practice squad. The 6-foot-4 tight end appeared in six games for Pittsburgh last season, catching two of three targets for eight yards across 36 offensive snaps.

The Titans cut Wells from their practice squad Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Wells was waived ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline but returned to the Titans on a practice-squad deal Wednesday. However, he once again finds himself a free agent after Tennessee released him from its practice squad to make room for Josh Gordon and Kevin Rader. Wells made his NFL debut last year, playing 13 snaps (12 offensive) across three games with the Cardinals.

The Patriots and Smith agreed Friday to convert $7.97 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

New England frees up $5.31 million in salary cap for 2022 with the move. Smith is heading into his second season with the Patriots, and he's primed to once again form a duo at tight end with Hunter Henry. Last season, Henry set the pace at the position with 75 targets as opposed to Smith's 45, but the team could employ more two-TE sets in 2022 now that there isn't a true fullback on the roster.