Adkins (ankle) won't go on injured reserve to start the 2025 season, Luca Evans of The Denver Post reports.

Adkins has been working his way back from an ankle sprain, but head coach Sean Payton expects him to be able to return to action by Week 3. Payton said Thursday that the tight end is "too good a football player for us," thus stressing the importance of having him available as soon as possible.

The Panthers activated Tremble (back) from the active/PUP list Thursday.

Tremble won't play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Steelers, but he's passed his physical and will be eligible to return to practice immediately. Head coach Dave Canales said Tuesday that Tremble remains on track for Week 1 but that the tight end will need to "get some more physical contact and get that adaptation part, before we can fully clear him," so it sounds like he'll be limited at practice for the time being. Tremble projects as Carolina's official No. 1 tight end but figures to do most of his damage as a blocker, while Ja'Tavion Sanders and rookie fifth-round pick Mitchell Evans offer more pass-catching upside at the position.

Ferguson (groin) will play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Browns, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports.

Ferguson returned to practice Monday after having been forced to sit out the Rams' first two preseason games due to a groin injury, but the rookie second-round pick will get a chance to make his exhibition debut on the road versus Cleveland on Saturday. Prior sustaining his groin injury early August, Ferguson had drawn encouraging early reviews at training camp. He'll work to pick up where he left off and continue building momentum Saturday, with the goal of earning opportunities behind 32-year-old incumbent starting tight end Tyler Higbee.

Waller (undisclosed) is participating in position drills Thursday, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald reports.

Waller's ramping up the scope of his practice participation one day after being activated from the active/PUP list. His absence from team activities prior to that activation was reportedly due to conditioning reasons, as Waller was getting back up to speed after being away from football in 2024. He's expected to serve as Miami's starting tight end in 2025 after unretiring.

The Texans waived McKitty on Wednesday.

McKitty signed with the Texans on Aug. 13 and played in Saturday's preseason game against the Panthers, when he logged 17 snaps (nine on offense, eight on special teams) without showing up on the box score otherwise. Assuming he clears waivers, McKitty will look to join a team in need of tight end depth.

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday that Schoonmaker is in the concussion protocol, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

Schoonmaker departed Tuesday's practice early and is now in the concussion protocol, meaning he'll need to gain full clearance before suiting up for a game. That effectively rules the No. 2 tight end out for Friday's preseason finale against the Falcons, though he'll have just over two weeks to return to full health before Week 1 against the Eagles on Thursday, Sept. 4. Likely No. 3 tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford (ankle) hasn't practiced since late July, so for the time being John Stephens and Princeton Fant figure to benefit from increased reps behind Jake Ferguson as they each compete to make Dallas' initial 53-man roster.

Gesicki (hamstring) is nearing a return and might be able to play if the Bengals had a regular-season game coming up this weekend, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Gesicki presumably will be held out of the preseason finale, but it sounds like he'll return to practice with plenty of time to gear up for a Week 1 game at Cleveland. While recent addition Noah Fant is a threat to take some of the snaps that Gesicki handled last season, the latter remains a clear favorite to lead Cincinnati's tight ends in routes and targets, having signed a three-year, $25.5 million contract in March (after catching 65 passes last season).

Sample is considered day-to-day with an unspecified injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Sample presumably was injured during Monday's preseason win over Washington. He got some first-team snaps in the game, rotating with Noah Fant and Tanner Hudson at tight end, while Mike Gesicki (hamstring) was unavailable. With Gesicki said to be nearing a return, there's not much room for the other tight ends to see enough targets for fantasy relevance. Fant and Hudson offer more pass-catching potential than Sample, in any case, considering the seventh-year Bengal has 100 catches and just four TDs in 78 regular-season games. It sounds like Sample's injury isn't considered serious, potentially allowing him to fill his usual block-first role come Week 1 at Cleveland.

The Dolphins activated Waller (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Wednesday.

Waller has spent the entirety of training camp and the preseason to date on the PUP list, reportedly for conditioning reasons after he spent last season in retirement, but he'll now begin practicing. With the veteran tight end having missed Miami's first two preseason games, Saturday's exhibition finale against the Jaguars will be his final chance to shake off the rust with game reps prior to Week 1. Waller projects as the Dolphins' clear top pass-catching tight end, with Julian Hill and Pharaoh Brown available to primarily handle blocking reps. Waller will work to make the most of the next three or so weeks to build chemistry with QB Tua Tagovailoa, acclimate to coach Mike McDaniel's scheme and ramp up into full football shape, with a hopeful eye toward kicking off Week 1 against the Colts on Sunday, Sept. 7 as a full-time starter.

Schoonmaker (undisclosed) left Tuesday's practice early, Garrett Podell of CBS Sports reports.

It's not clear at this point what kind of injury Schoonmaker is dealing with, but any health issue this close to the start of the regular season would be concerning. The 2023 second-round pick ranked second among Dallas tight ends in offensive snaps last season as a capable blocker and reliable short-range target. With Brevyn Spann-Ford (ankle) also tending to an injury, the door could be open for John Stephens and/or Princeton Fant to make a run at a spot on the Cowboys' initial 53-man roster.