NFL Player News

Derby will not play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Buccaneers.

Derby is among a number of players taking the night off, but there's no indication his absence is due to an injury. It would be more telling if he misses additional practice time or sits out future preseason tilts as well. There are five other tight ends on the roster, including rookie Mike Gesicki, who could see additional reps in his absence Thursday.

Fumagalli did not participate in Thursday's practice due to a groin injury, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Fumagalli said Thursday that the injury is related to the sports hernia surgery that he underwent this offseason, so it looks like he might have suffered a bit of a setback after returning to practice a little over a week ago. While missing practice as a rookie certainly isn't ideal for the tight end, the Broncos will likely proceed with extra caution with Fumagalli for the rest of training camp to ensure he is healthy for the regular season.

Saubert has been impressing the Falcons coaching staff in training camp to this point, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.

Head coach Dan Quinn noted Saubert as one player whom he will focus on during Atlanta's preseason opener against the Jets, given the level of growth that the young tight end has exhibited from his first year in the league to his second. "I'm certainly looking to see how (Saubert) looks. He's somebody who has our attention at tight end," Quinn said after practice Wednesday. "He's really kind of turning into the pass-catching tight end that I hoped we'd see." Saubert has been listed as the No. 3 option at the position behind Austin Hooper and Logan Paulsen on the team's first published depth chart of the season.

Thomas (shoulder) hauled in a pass from Nathan Peterman at practice Wednesday, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

The backup tight end suffered a shoulder injury during the opening days of training camp, but his presence in practice Wednesday suggests Thomas is in good health ahead of Thursday's preseason opener against the Panthers.

The Titans released Supernaw on Tuesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Supernaw returned to practice in early August after passing his physical, but he didn't last long on the Titans' roster. The team signed tight end Jerome Cunningham to replace him on the 90-man roster, while Supernaw is now free to sign elsewhere.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Vannett played through a back injury for much of his first two NFL seasons, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

A 2016 third-round pick, Vannett hasn't had any absences attributed to a back issue, but he did miss games with ankle and shoulder injuries during his first two seasons. Initially expected to replace Luke Willson as Seattle's No. 2 tight end, Vannett has been getting regular work with the first-team offense while Ed Dickson recovers from a groin injury, Mike Vorel of The Seattle Times reports. Though he's known for his blocking more so than his receiving ability, Vannett may display better athleticism now that his back isn't nagging him. The extent of his role likely still depends upon Dickson's health.

Graham missed Tuesday's practice with a minor knee injury, Michael Cohen of The Athletic Wisconsin reports.

Graham collided with a teammate during Monday's practice and presumably will be held out of Thursday's preseason game against the Titans. He should still have a chance to play before the end of the preseason, and he's already had quite a bit of time to build chemistry with Aaron Rodgers during training camp. Graham can be considered day-to-day.

Waller (suspension) has been reinstated following a one-year suspension and he watched practice Tuesday, freelance NFL writer Jeff Zrebiec reports.

Waller figures to rejoin the tight end mix at some point this offseason, but a deep group that includes two rookie tight ends awaits him. Waller appeared in 12 games for the Ravens when he last played in 2016 and he'll attempt to crack the 53-man roster again with a strong showing in the preseason.

Andrews (undisclosed) has returned to practice, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

This is the third straight practice session in which Andrews has been able to participate, so it looks like he is fully healthy, especially since he's taking full contact. Andrews will be battling for a depth role at tight end this preseason.

Graham (undisclosed) was not spotted at practice Tuesday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Per the report, Graham was slow to get up after getting tangled up with a teammate during Monday's practice. While the tight end completed that session, he's not out there Tuesday, quite possibly for precautionary reasons.