NFL Player News

Freiermuth caught four passes (on five targets) for 32 yards while logging a two-yard carry during the Steelers' 20-3 loss to the Patriots on Sunday.

Freiermuth and Darnell Washington were both named starters for Sunday's game, with the former leading all Steelers tight ends with 46 of 67 offensive snaps (68.7 percent). Unlike Week 1 against the Falcons, Freiermuth did not draw a red-zone target from Aaron Rodgers in Week 2, with the veteran quarterback averaging just 4.8 yards per pass attempt against New England. Freiermuth will take a 9-78-1 line (on 10 targets) into a Week 3 AFC North divisional showdown against the Bengals.

Ertz is signing with Philadelphia's practice squad, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Dallas Goedert is expected to miss multiple weeks due to an MCL sprain he suffered in Sunday's 24-20 win over the Titans. With both Grant Calcaterra (back) and rookie second-rounder Eli Stowers (hamstring) also on injured reserve, the Eagles have opted to bring back a familiar face in Ertz, a second-round selection of the franchise in the 2013 NFL Draft. Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins are the only healthy tight ends on the Eagles' 53-man roster, so Ertz could be elevated from the practice squad for Philadelphia's Week 3 road tilt against Chicago on Monday, Sept. 28.

Gadsden is the only healthy tight end on the Chargers' active roster following the team's 26-14 loss to the Raiders on Sunday, Noah Furtado of The Athletic reports.

Both David Njoku (fibula) and Charlie Kolar (forearm) are expected to go on injured reserve due to injuries they suffered during Sunday's loss. Given those injuries, as well as Ladd McConkey being limited by a lingering rib injury, Gadsden should operate in an elevated role in the passing game over the coming weeks. Gadsden showed flashes of promise during the 2025 regular season, including a three-game stretch from Weeks 6 to 8, when he caught 19 passes (on 22 targets) for 309 yards and two touchdowns. The Chargers hit the road for Week 3 against the Bills, whose defense has yielded a 14-116-1 line (on 19 targets) to tight ends through two games.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that Kolar will go on injured reserve due to a forearm injury he sustained during Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Raiders, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

Kolar was spotted with his left arm in a sling following Sunday's loss, and the injury is severe enough for him to warrant a stint on IR. As a result, Kolar will be forced to miss at least the next four games, making him ineligible to play until Week 8 against the Rams. David Njoku (knee) is also set to go on IR, leaving Oronde Gadsden as the lone healthy tight end on the Chargers' 53-man roster for the time being.

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday that Njoku will be placed on injured reserve due to a fibula injury, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.

Charlie Kolar (forearm) is also expected to land on IR after both he and Njoku sustained injuries during Sunday's 26-14 loss to the Raiders, with the latter being carted off the field during the second quarter. Njoku is without an official timeline to return, though he won't be eligible to come off IR any earlier than the Chargers' Week 8 matchup with the Rams on Nov. 1. For the time being, second-year pro Oronde Gadsden, who posted a 49-664-3 line on 69 targets across 15 games in 2025, is the only healthy tight end on the Chargers' 53-man roster.

Bates (undisclosed) has received medical clearance to sign and play with a team this season, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Bates reached an injury settlement with the Browns in late August after reverting to injured reserve. The third-year pro has been given the green light to return to on-field action and should garner interest from teams looking to add depth to the tight-end position, either on the active roster or practice squad. Bates entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and has appeared in 16 regular-season games across the last two years, serving mostly as a blocker on offense and contributor on special teams.

Goedert (knee) was diagnosed Monday with a sprained MCL and is expected to miss a few weeks, Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter of ESPN report.

Goedert went down in the second quarter of Sunday's 24-20 win over the Titans with the injury and now appears to be headed for a multi-week absence. While Goedert missed the entire second half of the Week 2 win, Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins handled tight-end duties, but neither saw major involvement in the passing game. During Goedert's upcoming absence, wideouts Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon could be the biggest beneficiaries of added targets behind No. 1 receiver DeVonta Smith.

Gesicki wasn't targeted in Sunday's 20-6 win over the Texans.

One week after leading the team in receiving with a 5-78-1 line on seven targets against the Bucs, Gesicki laid an egg against Houston. He played just 21 of 60 offensive snaps, fewer than both Drew Sample (36) and Erick All (25) at tight end for the Bengals. Despite playing fewer snaps than both, Gesicki led the trio with 20 pass routes, seven more than Sample and 15 more than All. Gesicki is essentially a fourth receiver behind Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Andrei Iosivas. Gesicki would need an injury to Chase or Higgins to have a reliable fantasy role.

Kmet failed to catch his only target in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings.

While Kmet played 51 of 74 offensive snaps in Week 2, he ran just 13 pass routes and was asked to block 37 times. Kmet plays a bunch in a Chicago offense that likes to use multiple tight ends, but his route participation isn't strong enough to warrant serious fantasy consideration if Colston Loveland is healthy.

Hockenson caught three of four targets for 29 yards in Sunday's 9-3 win over the Bears.

Hockenson played 69.2 percent of the Vikings' offensive snaps and ran 19 routes to Josh Oliver's four on Carson Wentz's 24 dropbacks. While both tight ends are playing significant snaps for Minnesota, it's clear that Hockenson is the receiving tight end while Oliver focuses on blocking as a traditional in-line player. Through two games, Hockenson has seven catches for 65 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He'll be in the low-end TE1 conversation most weeks and gets Kyler Murray (concussion) back under center for next Sunday's game against the Bucs.