NFL Player News

Sanders is listed as the Panthers' top tight end on the first unofficial depth chart of the 2025 regular season, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Sanders is listed above Tommy Tremble, who missed most of training camp and the preseason while recovering from offseason back surgery. While Sanders was always expected to handle the majority of pass-catching reps at tight end entering Year 2, while Tremble would see more blocking work, this development bodes well for the second-year pro's odds of leading the team in snaps at the position. With Jalen Coker (quadriceps) on IR to begin the season and Adam Thielen having been traded to Minnesota, Sanders' outlook in terms of volume has improved heading into Sunday's regular-season opener against the Jaguars.

Waller (hip) is not present for the early portion of Thursday's practice open to the media, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waller didn't practice Wednesday, but coach Mike McDaniel said the veteran tight end was expected to be at least a limited participant Thursday. He could still take the field for drills, but if Waller is officially listed as a non-participant on Thursday's injury report it could be an indication he's suffered some sort of setback. Julian Hill and Tanner Conner are Miami's only available backups at tight end heading into Sunday's road matchup against the Colts.

Sample (undisclosed) did not appear on the Bengals' injury report Wednesday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Sample suffered an undisclosed injury during the preseason, but he now appears to be back to full health. The tight end will operate as a depth option behind Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant in Sunday's regular-season opener against the Browns.

Spann-Ford (ankle) won't carry an injury designation into Thursday's contest against the Eagles.

Spann-Ford returned to be a full participant at practice this week after suffering an ankle injury in late July. The tight end will now be all set to operate as a depth option behind Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker in the team's regular-season opener in Philadelphia.

Tremble (back) isn't listed on the injury report for Sunday's season opener at Jacksonville.

The Panthers activated Tremble from the PUP list Aug. 21, giving him two-and-a-half weeks to ramp up for Week 1. He's ready and may even be a nominal starter, but Ja'Tavion Sanders figures to run more routes and get more playing time in passing situations.

Johnson isn't listed on the injury report for Sunday's season opener at Washington, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Giants coach Brian Daboll confirmed Johnson is "good to go" after making it through training camp and the preseason without any setbacks. It's been a smooth process, at least from a distance, which is perhaps surprising given Johnson's worrisome diagnosis back in December -- a Lisfranc injury that required surgery. The Giants didn't add much competition at tight end this offseason, potentially allowing Johnson to pick up where he left off in a near-every-down role (before the foot injury ended his rookie year).

Smith (knee) is not listed on Wednesday's injury report, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Smith missed time early August due to a knee injury, but he returned to practice Aug. 20 and is now at full health as Sunday's regular-season opener against the Jets approaches. Fresh off a career-best campaign in which he tallied an 88-884-8 receiving line across 17 regular-season appearances with the Dolphins, Smith is now positioned to work alongside Pat Freiermuth as one of the Steelers' top tight ends. While the Steelers don't have much in the way of proven pass-catches for quarterback Aaron Rodgers behind WR DK Metcalf, the fact that Smith and Freiermuth will split snaps is a notable barrier to either tight end surfacing as a consistent weekly fantasy option.

Otton (groin) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Otton sustained a hamstring injury early in training camp, got back on the practice field as of Aug. 11 and played in preseason Week 2, when he didn't gather in either of his two targets. He then came down with a leg issue last Wednesday that now has been confirmed as a groin concern. Otton's status thus bears monitoring as the week goes on to get a sense of his chances to suit up Sunday in Atlanta.

Gesicki (hamstring) is not listed on Wednesday's injury report, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Gesicki missed much of August due to a hamstring injury, which gave Noah Fant an opportunity to handle expanded first-team reps at tight end, but he's back to full health ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener on the road against Cleveland. With premier target hogs Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins atop the wide receiver depth chart and backfield mates Chase Brown and Samaje Perine both boasting a three-down skillset, Gesicki has a difficult path to earning consistent target volume on a weekly basis, especially with Fant now offering competition. He is still, however, the favorite to lead the Bengals' tight end position in targets after having inked a three-year, $25.5 million extension with the team this offseason.

Waller (hip) did not participate in Wednesday's practice, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Waller is officially listed with a hip injury, though coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday that the veteran tight end hasn't had any injury setbacks and is simply on a ramp-up schedule, per Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site. McDaniel said Waller, who missed time early in training camp while working on his conditioning, will retake the practice field Thursday. Waller still appears on track for Sunday's regular-season opener on the road at Indianapolis, but how extensive a snap share he'll be ready for Week 1 remains to be seen.