NFL Player News

Bowers (knee) left the locker room after Sunday's 27-13 win over the Dolphins walking unaided with a sleeve on his left leg, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

Warren's encouraging postgame update on Bowers comes hours after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Bowers could be back as soon as Week 2 against the Chargers. The star tight end sat out Vegas' Week 1 win over the Dolphins after underdoing a meniscus trim Tuesday.

Johnson caught three of his seven targets for 54 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-30 overtime loss to the Lions.

Johnson had a strong Week 1, with Tyler Shough targeting the No. 1 tight end at the third-highest rate among Saints players. Only Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele saw more targets, but Johnson's 18.0 yards per reception were second only to Olave's 18.2.

Freiermuth caught all five of his targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 20-13 win over Atlanta.

Freiermuth looked great in Pittsburgh's season opener, ranking second on the team in receiving yardage and tying for first in catches. He accounted for the Steelers' lone offensive touchdown when he connected with Aaron Rodgers for a six-yard score in the second quarter. The five receptions were as many as Freiermuth had in any contest all of last season. Meanwhile, Darnell Washington had a quieter game statistically with two catches (on two targets) for 18 yards. Freiermuth and Washington figure to jockey for tight-end targets and snaps throughout the campaign.

LaPorta caught five of eight targets for 48 yards in Sunday's 31-30 overtime win over the Saints.

The tight end finished second to Amon-Ra St. Brown in receiving yards on the day while tying Jahmyr Gibbs for second in catches. Back trouble limited LaPorta to just nine games in 2025, but his pace during those games would have resulted in a career-high 924 receiving yards, so staying healthy will be key to his fortunes this season. LaPorta will look to make a bigger impact in Week 2 on the road against the Bills.

Okonkwo is questionable to return to Sunday's Week 1 game against Philadelphia due to a hamstring injury.

Okonkwo was deemed questionable to return in the second half of a close contest. Before exiting, he had caught two of three targets for 16 yards. If Okonkwo can't return to the Week 1 matchup, John Bates and Ben Sinnott figure to handle Washington's tight-end snaps.

Gesicki caught five passes on seven targets for 78 yards and a touchdown during the Bengals' 33-27 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday.

Even with the lethal one-two punch of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, it was Gesicki who led the Bengals in catches, targets and receiving yards during Sunday's win, which included a two-yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow late in the first quarter. Gesicki was also Burrow's go-to target late in the second quarter, with the duo connecting on passes of 16, 11 and 20 yards to help set up a 20-yard field goal from Evan McPherson. Chase, Higgins and running back Chase Brown are still the main playmakers on offense for the Bengals, but Gesicki is more than capable of having games like Sunday. The Bengals will look to start the 2026 season with a 2-0 record next Sunday on the road against the Texans, whose defense gave up 36 points to the Bills and allowed tight end Dalton Kincaid to turn six targets into five catches for 130 yards in Week 1.

Warren secured three of five targets for 13 yards and a touchdown in the Colts' 41-23 loss to the Ravens on Sunday.

The athletic second-year tight end was on the receiving end of Daniel Jones' sole touchdown pass, recording his nine-yard scoring grab early in the fourth quarter. Warren's afternoon was otherwise as non-descript as his final line suggests, but he's a vital part of the Colts' air attack and could have a bigger role in a Week 2 road matchup against the Chiefs next Sunday night.

Whyle (neck) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Whyle exited the second half of Sunday's contest with an all-too-familiar injury. The tight end missed some time in August with a minor neck issue so the current issue could be related. If Whyle is unable to return to the game, Mark Redman will likely take over as the No. 3 Packers tight end.

Loveland failed to catch either of his two targets in Sunday's 59-37 win over the Panthers.

It was the highest-scoring Week 1 game in NFL history, but Loveland wasn't able to contribute as Caleb Williams instead frequently looked for Kalif Raymond (8-84-0 on nine targets) over the middle, and his only TD pass to a tight end went to Cole Kmet. It's a hugely disappointing start to the season for Loveland after his impressive finish to 2025, but better days will be ahead. He'll look to rebound in Week 2 at home against the Vikings.

Kincaid caught five of six targets for 130 yards in Sunday's 36-31 win over the Texans.

Kincaid did most of his damage late, recording catches of 40 and 35 yards in the fourth quarter. He cleared offseason addition DJ Moore by 30 receiving yards for the team lead while tying Khalil Shakir for second in targets behind Moore's eight. Kincaid played through a knee injury last season but looked healthy in this season opener while setting a new single-game career high in receiving yards. He'll try to keep rolling in Thursday's Week 2 home game against the Lions.