NFL Player News

Loveland (hip) is believed to have avoided a severe injury, and he has a chance to gain clearance in time to suit up Sunday versus the Raiders, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Loveland suffered a hip injury during the second quarter of Sunday's win over the Cowboys, but it appears he has a chance to avoid missing any significant time. The rookie first-rounder flashed his downfield playmaking ability before leaving the field versus Dallas, securing one of three targets for 31 yards. If Loveland is forced to miss time or face a limited snap count, Cole Kmet will handle an expanded workload at tight end.

The Panthers are awaiting MRI results to diagnose the severity of Sanders' right ankle/foot injury, though initial X-rays were encouraging, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Sanders was forced out of Sunday's blowout win over the Falcons early, though he secured both of his targets for 11 yards before leaving the field. The second-year pro has operated as Carolina's top pass-catching tight end, so if he were to miss any time it would provide an opportunity for Tommy Tremble to take on extra receiving work.

Long caught two of three targets for 12 yards during Sunday's 17-10 win over the Texans.

The 27-year-old played 14 offensive snaps in Jacksonville's Week 3 win, more than doubling his total from the first two games combined (seven). Despite his increase in snaps, Long still operated as the Jaguars' No. 3 tight end, playing behind Johnny Mundt (18 offensive snaps) and Brenton Strange (54 offensive snaps). Long is expected to remain a depth option in the Jags' tight-end room ahead of a Week 4 matchup against the 49ers.

Freiermuth secured one of three targets for six yards during Sunday's 21-14 win over the Patriots.

Freiermuth recorded three receptions in each of the first two weeks of the regular season, but he was held in check during Sunday's victory. However, he played 70 percent of the team's offensive snaps, which lagged just behind Jonnu Smith, who was on the field for 83 percent. Over the first three games of the year, Freiermuth has secured seven of 10 targets for 65 yards, slightly behind Smith's 12-65-1 line on 13 targets.

Smith secured all three of his targets for 23 yards during Sunday's 21-14 win over New England.

Smith was on the field for 83 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps Sunday. However, the team had a lackluster performance through the air, and the tight end wasn't particularly productive. He also narrowly avoided disaster with the game tied in the fourth quarter, as he fumbled but the ball went out of bounds. Smith has led Pittsburgh's tight ends in snaps over the first three weeks of the regular season, and he's secured 12 of 13 targets for 65 yards and a touchdown compared to Pat Freiermuth's 7-65-0 line on 10 targets.

Musgrave was not targeted in Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Browns.

The third-year tight end was a trendy waiver-wire pick-up late in the week after Tucker Kraft injured his knee Thursday, but the Packers' starter wound up filling his usual role in Week 3 while Musgrave failed to make a mark. Musgrave is not even locked in as the No. 2 tight end -- John FitzPatrick scored his first career TD on Sunday and has played roughly the same number of snaps through three weeks.

FitzPatrick was targeted twice and caught two passes for 12 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 13-10 loss to the Browns.

Starting tight end Tucker Kraft filled his usual role in Week 3 despite picking up a minor knee in practice Thursday, but FitzPatrick still managed to find the end zone for the first time as a professional. FitzPatrick and Luke Musgrave have split backup snaps behind Kraft relatively evenly so far.

Tremble caught both of his targets for 16 yards in Sunday's 30-0 win over the Falcons.

The Notre Dame product played a season-high 33 offensive snaps in Sunday's win after Ja'Tavion Sanders (ankle) exited early due to an injury. Tremble made the most of his limited opportunities, catching each of his targets and finishing second on the Panthers in receiving yards in Week 3. If Sanders is sidelined for the Panthers' Week 4 matchup against the Patriots, Tremble will likely step in and serve as one of the team's top receiving options.

Bryant was not targeted over 17 snaps in Sunday's 17-10 loss to Jacksonville.

Bryant is operating as the backup tight end to Dalton Schultz following injuries to Brevin Jordan (knee), Irv Smith (ankle) and Cade Stover (foot). Of the three injured players, only Stover is expected to play again in 2025, which means, at a minimum, Bryant will get consistent playing time for the next two weeks. He has zero catches on one target through two games, however.

Schultz caught five of six targets for 39 yards in Sunday's 17-10 loss to the Jaguars.

Schultz had season highs in both targets and receiving yards, as the Texans made a concerted effort to get the passing game going. C.J. Stroud's 40 dropbacks (38 attempts, two sacks) were the most in three games, but he threw for only 204 yards (5.4 YPA). The passing volume meant opportunities for Schultz existed even with the season debut of No. 2 wideout Christian Kirk (eight targets). At 0-3 and getting very little offense through the air, the Texans might consider a heavier run-based attack, which would impact all receivers.