NFL Player News

Donnell injured his hand in Thursday's practice session, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Donnell joins the multitude of injured Ravens tight ends, though his injury isn't as serious as his peers'. He reportedly made a diving catch Thursday and landed on the ball with his fingers underneath it. Though it isn't expected to be a long-term ailment, he could miss some time. Look for Nick Boyle and Vince Mayle to see some added reps in practice as the only healthy backups behind apparent-starter Ben Watson.

Derby looks like Denver's main option at tight end, Cecil Lammey of Sportsradio 104.3 The Fan reports.

Derby joined the Broncos midway through last season and promptly caught at least four passes in three of four games before going down for the season with a concussion. A former quarterback, Derby is still more of a 250-pound athlete than finished product, but he's still probably Denver's best bet coming into the season with Virgil Green more of a blocker, Jeff Heuerman unproven to date and Jake Butt still on the mend from a torn ACL. Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy's fondness of using tight ends makes Derby a potential hidden gem for 2017.

Orndoff (undisclosed) was waived/injured by the Steelers on Wednesday.

Head coach Mike Tomlin described Orndoff's injury as a "soft-tissue" injury, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, so he shouldn't be out long. However, if Orndoff clears waivers, he'll revert to the Steelers' IR list.

Kittle (hamstring) returned to practice in a limited fashion Wednesday, Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Kittle took part in individual drills Wednesday, which is a good sign moving forward. There's still no guarantee that Kittle makes the 53-man roster, but as long as he stays on the field, he should have a good chance.

If Sterling Shepard's ankle injury keeps him out for a significant length of time, Engram's role could grow.

This year's first round pick is technically a tight end, but he lined up all over the field in college and has the speed and pass-catching skills of a wide receiver. The Giants have little quality depth beyond Shepard, so there's a good chance Engram rather than Tavarres King, Dwayne Harris or Roger Lewis would be the prime beneficiary in New York's three-WR sets.

Smith has looked good as Tennessee's No. 2 tight end early in camp, Colton Pouncy of the Tennessean reports.

Smith's most memorable play on the Titans' third day of camp was a red-zone drop, but that sequence isn't representative of how well the third-rounder out of Florida International has handled the high volume of passes thrown his way. He has also earned praise from coach Mike Mularkey for his desire to learn and improve. Tennessee has the luxury of bringing him along slowly behind veteran Delanie Walker, but that doesn't mean Smith won't make an impact in his rookie campaign.

Kittle (hamstring) was held out of Monday's practice with a hamstring injury, Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The fact that Kittle is being labeled as day-to-day gives us the impression that his hamstring injury isn't considered too serious. Still, any missed time in camp for the rookie tight end is detrimental to his development and his quest to move up the 49ers' depth chart. Kittle was seeing first-team snaps during minicamp, so he will look to regain that momentum when he gets back on the practice field.

Harkey (triceps) was removed from the non-football injury list Saturday, Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register reports.

Although he ended last season on IR due to a triceps injury, Harkey didn't actually log one snap in 2016. Now healthy, expect him to contend with Temarrick Hemingway for the third spot on the tight end depth chart in training camp.

Everett's athleticism and comfort level has stood out to head coach Sean McVay through the first two days of training camp, Myles Simmons of the Rams' official site reports.

Everett, this year's second-round selection, is vying for seeding on the depth chart with 2016 fourth-round pick Tyler Higbee, and the winner of the position battle projects to have a sizeable role in the Los Angeles offense. McVay leaned on his tight ends heavily during his tenure as Washington's offensive coordinator, so his praise of Everett's start to training camp is an early positive for the rookie. It's worth noting that both Everett and Higbee will probably be involved in the passing attack and limit each other's fantasy upside, though.

Donnell signed a contract with the Ravens on Sunday, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Donnell had a relatively disappointing 2016 campaign with the Giants -- he pulled in just 15 receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown across 14 games -- which prompted the team to let him walk during free agency. However, with the Ravens losing both Dennis Pitta (hip) and Darren Waller (suspension) for the season, as well as Crockett Gillmore's recent knee injury, Donnell will bring some much-needed depth to the position. He'll battle with the likes of Ben Watson, Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams for time at tight end throughout training camp.