NFL Player News

Allen (quadriceps) was a limited participant in Monday's training camp practice, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

Allen has been limited to side work in training camp while recovering from a quadriceps injury, but his ability to practice Monday, even in a limited capacity, is a positive sign for the 2023 fifth-rounder. He's unlikely to play in Thursday's preseason finale against the Chargers, but Allen is working his way toward being available for the Rams' regular-season opener against the 49ers on Thursday, Sept. 10.

Van Vooren signed with the Cowboys on Monday, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Van Vooren was waived by New England on Aug. 18. Dallas is dealing with injuries to backup tight ends Brevyn Spann-Ford (undisclosed), Michael Trigg (toe) and DJ Rogers (knee), and the team only played with two healthy tight ends in its last preseason game Saturday against the Cardinals, per Harris. Van Vooren, who has yet to make an NFL regular-season appearance, should have a chance to make his mark in Dallas' last preseason contest.

Conner and the Dolphins agreed on a contract Monday.

Conner was waived by the Jaguars on Aug. 17, but he has now found a new home with the Dolphins ahead of the team's final preseason contest Friday against the Falcons. The undrafted free agent will likely be competing for a practice-squad spot with Miami in 2026.

Lauter signed a contract with the Vikings on Monday.

Lauter, who was not selected by a team in the 2026 NFL Draft, was let go by the Titans on Friday just five days after signing with the team. He'll get a new opportunity with the Vikings, and while he's got long odds to crack the 53-man roster, a strong week of training camp practice could be enough to convince Minnesota to keep Lauter around on the practice squad.

Johnson left Monday's practice due to an unspecified issue, Dan Benton of USA Today reports.

Per the report, Johnson went down while blocking and appeared visibly frustrated as he headed toward the locker room. Per Dan Duggan of The Athletic, coach John Harbaugh noted that the tight end collided with teammate Kayvon Thibodeaux, and at this stage he thinks that Johnson will be okay.

Coach Dave Canales indicated that Waller is not expected to suit up for Friday's preseason finale against the Texans, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today reports.

Waller, who officially signed with the Panthers last Monday, didn't take part in the team's joint practice with the Jaguars on Wednesday and sat out Friday's ensuing preseason contest against the Jaguars. The tight end did see a couple of team reps in Monday's session, per Canales, but with the Panthers still easing Waller into the mix, it remains to be seen how much of a workload he'll see out of the gate this season.

Coach Aaron Gleen said Monday that the Jets are targeting Week 1 for Sadiq (hernia) to return to action, Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic reports.

Sadiq underwent hernia surgery during the offseason program and then had a setback in his recovery early on at training camp. The extent of his activity in the meantime has been work on a side field, so individual and then team drills will be the next steps for the rookie first-round pick. Once Sadiq is healthy, he and 2025 second-rounder Mason Taylor will serve as the Jets' top TE duo.

Stowers (hamstring) won't practice Monday, Martin Frank of The Delaware News Journal reports.

Per Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Stowers appeared to get banged up during Saturday's preseason game against the Patriots. The tight end thus falls into the day-to-day category as Friday's preseason finale against the Bengals approaches. Once healthy, the 2026 second-rounder is poised to work behind top TE Dallas Goedert, a role that may not initially involve steady volume for the rookie, but one that could grow in the event that Goedert misses any time this season.

Gadsden recorded two catches for 24 yards on three targets during Thursday's 41-17 preseason loss to the 49ers.

Though his two receptions tied for the team lead and his 24 receiving yards ranked second, Gadsden's usage in the Chargers' second preseason game probably holds greater importance than his statistical output. The second-year tight end didn't log any snaps on either of the Chargers' first two possessions of the contest, with both Charlie Kolar and David Njoku playing ahead of him before being shut down for the rest of the night. Given that Kolar and Njoku were both rested the week prior while Gadsden saw snaps with the backups in the Chargers' 27-7 win over the Texans in the preseason opener, Gadsden could be trending toward a role reduction in new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel's scheme. Since he still profiles as the Chargers' top pass-catching option at the position, Gadsden might be utilized ahead of Njoku or Kolar on third downs or hurry-up scenarios, but that sort of role could make his production highly volatile week to week and heavily dependent on game script.

Parkinson remains on track to lead the Rams' tight-end room, Albert Breer of SI.com reports.

Being the top tight end can be a bit misleading when it comes to this Rams team, seeing as no team came close to running as many three-tight-end sets last season as Los Angeles' 388. Even so, Parkinson will be on the field plenty and the Rams are expected to be one of the best offenses in football. With that, Parkinson's week-to-week outlook can be volatile even if the year-end results end up being useful from a TE2 perspective in fantasy. Parkinson caught a career-high eight touchdown passes last season.