NFL Player News

Coach Andy Reid indicated that Chiefs starters are in line to play about a quarter in Sunday's preseason opener against the Saints, Jesse Newell of the Kansas City Star reports.

Though it appears as though Kelce will see some action Sunday, his anticipated appearance figures to be abbreviated, given his importance to the team's offense. As the coming season approaches, Kelce remains an elite fantasy option and is viewed as the consensus top option at the tight end position.

Waller isn't expected to play in Friday night's preseason opener against the Lions, The Athletic's Dan Duggan reports.

This isn't surprising at all, considering the Giants have been careful to give Waller plenty of rest this summer after he's battled injuries in recent years. Lawrence Cager should see plenty of run at tight end Friday. Waller is the favorite to pace the Giants in targets and catches in 2023.

Johnson has been a standout performer through two weeks of training camp, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com reports.

Duncan predicts that Johnson will deliver a breakout season in 2023 after putting on more muscle to improve his blocking. The 6-foot-4 tight end led the Saints with seven touchdown receptions in 2022. He's a converted wide receiver, so improved blocking should help Johnson see the field more consistently at the expense of more traditional tight ends Foster Moreau and Jimmy Graham.

Muse had three receptions on four targets for 10 yards, including a four-yard touchdown catch, in Thursday's preseason loss at Seattle.

Muse is mostly known as a blocker and special-teams player, but he showed some red zone ability with a towering grab over a defender for a touchdown. He helped his case to win a final reserve role on the roster but may have to settle for the practice squad.

Thomas (calf) isn't available for Friday's preseason game against Cleveland, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas hasn't practiced for the past week and likely will miss time beyond Friday. He struggled last season and is scheduled for a non-guaranteed $6.28 million base salary this year, but the Commanders seemingly intend to give him another shot as their top pass-catching TE. With Thomas unavailable, Cole Turner is probably the team's best receiver at the position, while John Bates is the most experienced option.

Stephens has been converted to tight end by the Cowboys and has looked good during the early part of training camp, Jon Machota and Saad Yousef of The Athletic report.

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds coming out of Louisiana, Stephens played wide receiver in college and his length and red-zone ability earned him a look as a UDFA from the Cowboys. Dallas has a very young tight end room headlined by 2022 fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson and 2023 second-round selection Luke Schoonmaker (foot), so if Stephens continues to handle the transition well and proves he can hold up as a blocker while providing a mismatch as a receiving option, he could find his way onto the Week 1 roster. More likely, a strong showing in the preseason will get him stashed on the practice squad so he can hone his skills further.

Parkinson caught his only target for 10 yards in Thursday's 24-13 preseason win over the Vikings.

Parkinson's catch came on Seattle's second drive. He's competing for playing time in a deep tight end room that also features Noah Fant and Will Dissly. The 24-year-old Parkinson had 322 yards and two touchdowns in the 2022 regular season. Seattle's next preseason game will be Aug. 19 against Dallas.

Jordan' (hamstring) isn't slated to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Patriots, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

With Jordan still dealing with a hamstring issue, his next chance to see game action will occur Saturday, Aug. 19 against the Dolphins. Once he's back in action, Jordan will look to carve out a role in a Houston tight end corps that also includes Dalton Schultz and Teagan Quitoriano (quadriceps).

Schoonmaker (foot) will get more work in practice Thursday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Schoonmaker continues to ramp up his activity as he recovers from a partial tear of his plantar fascia, which he suffered earlier in the summer. The Michigan product had his first practice with the team Monday following his activation from the non-football injury list, and he will likely see his participation level increase as the preseason proceeds, as long as he can stay healthy. The 24-year-old is expected to compete with Peyton Hendershot and Jake Ferguson for tight-end snaps this season.

Kittle (adductor strain) didn't practice Thursday, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Per Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News, Kittle is expected to be out for about a week, so it looks safe to assume that the 49ers' star tight end won't be available for Sunday's preseason opener against the Raiders. With that in mind, Kittle's next chance to suit up for game action will arrive Saturday, Aug. 19, when San Francisco faces Denver.