NFL Player News

Akins is not participating in Saturday's practice due to an apparent leg injury, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

This marks the second day Akins has been held out to start Browns training camp. The big-bodied target joined the team back in March, reuniting with former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, and when healthy will likely push Harrison Bryant for playing time behind starter David Njoku.

Fortson (shoulder) left practice Friday after sustaining an injury during 11-on-11 drills, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Fortson came up in pain and grasping his arm after linebacker Cole Christiansen landed on him during an 11-on-11 play. Head coach Andy Reid said Friday that Fortson hurt his shoulder on the play, though the severity of the injury has yet to be confirmed.

Fortson (arm) left practice Friday during 11-on-11 team drills, Pete Sweeney of ArrowheadPride.com reports.

Fortson looked to be in serious pain after linebacker Cole Christiansen rolled on top of him during a play. Fortson jogged off the field grasping his right arm and later left the field on a cart. Fortson signed his exclusive-rights tender with the Chiefs in June after spending last season on both special teams and on offense as the No. 3 tight end behind Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.

Freiermuth (knee) did team drills Thursday at the first practice of training camp, Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The FAN reports.

This come as no surprise given that Freiermuth participated in OTA practices in late May and June. He avoided offseason surgery after suffering MCL and ACL sprains in Week 18 last season, and he's locked in as one of the top receiving threats for second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett.

Johnson has more competition for snaps after the Saints signed fellow tight end Jimmy Graham on Tuesday.

The Saints certainly have an interesting TE room, featuring a converted wide receiver (Johnson), a 36-year-old who was out of football last year (Graham), a part-time quarterback (Taysom Hill), a guy who battled cancer earlier this offseason (Foster Moreau) and a TE with 63 NFL starts to his name (Jesse James). Of course, Graham and James will need to fight for their roster spots, whereas Johnson, Moreau and Hill have larger contracts with considerable guarantees. There's still hope for Johnson to build on his 2022 breakout and perhaps see 5-6 targets per game after averaging 4.1 last year, but the crowded position group doesn't exactly help his fantasy outlook.

Schoonmaker (foot) may eventually be cleared for training camp but doesn't currently have a return timeline, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

The Cowboys recently placed Schoonmaker on the non-football injury list due to plantar fasciitis that predates his time in the NFL. It's unclear if they knew about it when making him a second-round pick in April, but the team at least seems optimistic he'll be ready at some point this summer. Even if he's back by Week 1, the missed time in camp impacts Schoonmaker's rookie-year fantasy outlook, hurting his chances to eclipse second-year pros Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot in a TE room that no longer has Dalton Schultz.

Knox (lower leg) participated in Wednesday's training camp practice, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.

Knox dealt with a leg issue during last month's minicamp, but he's evidently good to go for training camp. The 26-year-old approaches the coming season as the Bills' presumed top tight end, but the addition of rookie first-round selection Dalton Kincaid means that Knox now has some legitimate competition for snaps and targets in the team's passing offense. The looming potential of a timeshare at tight end likely limits Knox's fantasy ceiling in 2023 compared to a season ago.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Fant was placed on the active/PUP list Wednesday due to a knee concern, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Carroll relayed that Fant "had a little work done" on the knee in question, so it's unclear if the tight end underwent a procedure or merely was focusing behind the scenes on work with the Seahawks' training and medical staffs. Fant is able to practice and/or play at any point in the preseason, but in the meantime, Will Dissly and Colby Parkinson will handle most of the top-level tight-end reps for Seattle.

McDonald (undisclosed) was removed from the Packers' active/non-football injury list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Just five days after going on the active/NFI list, McDonald has passed his physical. Now that the undrafted rookie out of Florida State is healthy, he will be competing for a spot in an unproven yet crowded tight end room in Green Bay. He's currently listed sixth on the Packers' depth chart, so it seems like the best-case scenario is for him to make the practice squad.

Long (undisclosed) was placed on the active/PUP list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Long's injury and recovery timeline is unclear; however, his placement on the active, as opposed to reserve, PUP list suggests his issue may be minor. The 2021 third-round selection was dealt to the Rams in March as part of the Jalen Ramsey trade, and he figures to compete for the No. 3 tight-end spot behind Tyler Higbee and Brycen Hopkins, once Long can prove he is healthy.