NFL Player News

Thompson is dealing with a calf injury, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

The 28-year-old finished the 2021 campaign on Carolina's practice squad after bringing in just one of his three targets for seven yards over 26 games during the past two seasons. The Panthers also signed tight end Nate Becker to a one-year deal Thursday, so any missed time this preseason could substantially affect Thompson's chances to make the team's final roster headed into the regular season.

Kmet is day-to-day with an unspecified injury and isn't expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Chiefs, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Locked in as Chicago's top tight end, Kmet may still need to answer questions about production and performance but doesn't face any kind of serious challenge for snaps. His absence could free up a bit more work for middling veterans Ryan Griffin and James O'Shaughnessy.

Dulcich (hamstring) missed practice Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

The 2022 third-rounder also sat out Wednesday's session, so consider Dulcich day-to-day as Saturday's preseason opener against the Cowboys approaches. When healthy, Dulcich will look to make his case to secure a key role in Denver's offense alongside returnee Albert Okwuegbunam. Tight end targets are up for grabs this season after the Broncos sent Noah Fant to the Seahawks in the trade that brought in Russell Wilson.

Fortson (quadriceps) is an active participant at Thursday's practice, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Fortson suffered the injury July 30 and has not practiced with the team since. The 26-year-old was impressing early in camp, showing the potential to earn the No. 2 spot on the positional depth chart behind Travis Kelce. Now healthy, Fortson will work to gain back that momentum.

Blanton is listed as the No. 2 tight end for the Rams on their first unofficial depth chart, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

Tyler Higbee's return from an MCL injury suffered during the playoffs meant that Blanton and fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins would be relegated to backup duty, but Blanton will start the preseason as the primary backup, thanks to his more robust skill set as both a blocker and a receiver. Blanton will find plenty of work in two-tight end sets, but will likely struggle to improve on his 2021 stats (4-37-0 line in 11 regular season games) with numerous target hogs surrounding him on the field.

McBride (back) may not be able to play during Friday's preseason game against the Bengals, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

The 6-foot-3, 249-pound tight end has been dealing with some back soreness through the August portion of training camp, but the team hasn't expressed too much concern about the issue. McBride was the first tight end selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, but with Zach Ertz the presumed starter, the 22-year-old could find himself third on Arizona's depth chart if Maxx Williams (knee) is cleared to play by Week 1. McBride will likely partake in preseason action at some point, but it looks like he'll watch from the sidelines on Friday.

Asiasi (undisclosed) was limited during Tuesday's training camp practice, Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal reports.

Asiasi left Monday's practice early due to an undisclosed injury, but as expected, the issue was minor and he's already working his way back to 100 percent. Fellow backup tight end Dalton Keene was also limited due to an undisclosed injury.

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule said Wednesday that Thomas (ribs) will be sidelined for a week or two, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Thomas had to be carted off the practice field Tuesday, but he appears to have avoided a major injury. The 2018 fourth-round pick will likely miss at least one preseason contest, but he's still expected to open the regular season as the primary backup to second-year pro Tommy Tremble.

Jets head coach Robert Saleh said Tuesday that Ruckert is playing catchup after missing all of New York's OTAs and half of training camp due to a foot injury, Ethan Sears of the New York Post reports. "He's swimming a little bit," Saleh said. "Obviously there's a lot of information coming in. He missed all of OTAs, half of training camp, and he's getting into the thick of it in the middle of it."

The Jets have veterans C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin at the top of the tight-end depth chart, so there's no need to rush the rookie third-round pick into the mix. However, Ruckert has immense upside and would give second-year quarterback Zach Wilson another legitimate receiving threat when he's finally up to speed with the playbook.

Okwuegbunam has been a popular target of quarterback Russell Wilson during training camp, with head coach Nathaniel Hackett noting Tuesday that the tight end has become more comfortable in Denver's new offense after a slow start at OTAs, Andrew Mason of 104.5 The Fan Denver reports.

Rookie third-round pick Greg Dulcich received plenty of hype during the offseason program, but he's been quieter at training camp after missing the first week with a hamstring injury. Hackett said Okwuegbunam has been "absolutely splendid" this summer, noting that the Broncos have "been putting him all over the place" and are pleased with his progress as a blocker. That last part doesn't profile as a strength for either Okwuegbunam or Dulcich, but the third-year pro at least has a size advantage at 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, compared to the rookie's 6-foot-4, 245-pound measurements.