NFL Player News

Coach Matt Rhule said Thomas injured his toe Monday, but the third-year tight end should return to practice "pretty soon," Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

After sustaining the injury, Thomas was sent for an MRI, which returned negative for a fracture. Instead, he's been diagnosed with a hyperextension. Expect the Panthers to exercise caution with their No. 1 tight end, especially with the season opener less than two weeks away (Sept. 13 against the Raiders).

Kroft is back at practice Tuesday after missing Monday's session due to a foot injury, Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo reports.

Kroft had his foot stepped on Sunday, but fortunately for him and the Bills, it wasn't anything structural or related to his past foot problems. He'll resume his quest to try earning as much playing time as he can get in a tight end corps that will probably be led by second-year man Dawson Knox.

Okwuegbunam is playing well in training camp, the Denver Post reports.

More specifically, the article opens with a line stating, "there's a growing belief rookie Albert Okwuegbunam is a star-in-waiting." Noah Fant, a 2019 first-round pick, is the incumbent with his own substantial brand, but as a fourth-round pick Okwuegbunam boasts a lot of the same traits that made Fant so valued in the first place. Fant (6-4, 249) ran a 4.5-second 40 at the combine, yet Okwuegbunam posted a 4.49 40 at nine pounds heavier. Prior to flashing that speed, Okwuegbunam (6-5, 258) was largely written off as a red-zone specialist, so he gave reason to project eventual viability between the 20s in addition to the red zone. Fant seems too good to get displaced, especially by a rookie, but it looks like Okwuegbunam could push for meaningful snaps right away. If his emergence continues, it could at the very least give Denver reason to consider more two-TE formations than they might have planned on going into training camp.

The Ravens let Scarff go on Monday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

The Ravens wanted to get to just three tight ends on their roster for the 2020 season, so Scarff was an odd man out Monday. The Delaware product will likely have to be deployed as a run-blocking tight end should he make a roster elsewhere.

Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Fumagalli is dealing with an abdominal issue, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

It's unclear how Fumagalli suffered the injury, however, Fangio reiterated Monday that it's not expected to be serious. Fumagalli missed his entire rookie season in 2018 with a sports hernia, so this news is certainly concerning. The Wisconsin product will look to get healthy before battling Albert Okwuegbunam, Jake Butt and Nick Vannett for a depth tight end role in 2020.

Stapleton suffered a fracture in his shoulder during Monday's practice, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Wilson reports that Stapleton suffered the injury diving for a pass, but the good news is that he's not expected to require surgery. The bad news for Stapleton, however, is the injury is expected to keep him sidelined for 5-to-7 weeks, setting up a Week 4 or Week 5 return at the earliest. The undrafted rookie out of James Madison had earned praise from the coaching staff during training camp to this point, after he logged 35 receptions for 426 yards and one touchdown for the Dukes in his collegiate career.

Coach Kyle Shanahan expects Kittle (hamstring) to return to practice this week, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

A tight hamstring has kept Kittle of the field since Wednesday. Testing hasn't revealed a strain, so the decision appears to be a precaution to make sure the tight end reaches Week 1 in one piece.

Kroft had his foot stepped on during Sunday's practice and is missing Monday's session, Thad Brown of WROC in Rochester reports.

Normally this might not be a big deal, but Kroft has had major lower leg issues in the past. There's no word yet if this injury is to the same foot that caused Kroft to miss five games last season when he broke it in his first practice as a Bill. Kroft is battling second-year tight end Dawson Kroft for playing time.

Njoku (wrist) participated in full-team drills Sunday for the first time in more than a week, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku made an instant splash with a 64-yard gain on a pass from backup quarterback Case Keenum. It sounds like the tight end should be ready for Week 1, but it still isn't ideal that he's been bothered by soreness in the same wrist he broke last September. Njoku's role behind Austin Hooper isn't likely to produce a ton of targets even if it proves to be pivotal for the Cleveland offense as a unit.

Kittle (hamstring) was held out of practice over the weekend, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kittle has been bothered by a tight hamstring since Wednesday, but tests haven't revealed a muscle pull or strain. It sounds like the type of thing he'd play through during the regular season, and there hasn't been any indication he's in danger of missing Week 1 against the Cardinals. We'll start to increase the level of concern if he doesn't make it back to practice this week.