NFL Player News

Smith had three catches for 17 yards on five targets in Sunday's loss to the Browns.

Smith dropped one ball on third down that, had he caught it, he might have converted into a first down. He also struggled with his blocking assignments, whiffing on the first play from scrimmage -- leading to the first of many occasions when Joe Burrow was under immediate pressure. The Bengals' passing game will have better days, but Smith could lose snaps to Drew Sample if he can't protect the team's $275 million quarterback.

Conklin caught his only target for two yards in Monday's 22-16 overtime win over the Bills.

Conklin was the only tight end to draw a target for the Jets, who went with a run-heavy approach after Aaron Rodgers suffered what turned out to be a season-ending torn Achilles on the opening drive. With New York likely to implement a more risk-averse offense for Zach Wilson moving forward, Conklin could see a slight uptick in usage in Week 2 against the Cowboys and beyond.

McBride caught both of his targets for 23 yards during Sunday's 20-16 loss in Washington.

With Zach Ertz making his return from last November's season-ending ACL tear, the younger tight end played second fiddle to the veteran in offensive snaps, 48-23. McBride took advantage of his sparse opportunities though, while Ertz was merely a check-down option (6-21-0 on 10 targets). As long as Ertz has the upper hand in playing time, McBride will be hard-pressed to be a regular contributor in a Cardinals passing game that already figures to offer few fireworks. McBride's next chance to make an impact will come Sunday versus the Giants.

Lumpkin was cut from the Colts' practice squad Tuesday.

Lumpkin's release comes in wake of the team signing tight end Jordan Murray to its practice squad the same day. The 26-year-old failed to make New England's 53-man roster earlier this offseason after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Murray signed with the Colts' practice squad Tuesday.

The 23-year-old had a tryout with Indianapolis on Monday and played well enough to make the team's practice squad. Murray fell short of making Houston's 53-man roster earlier this offseason after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent.

Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Freiermuth (chest) may be limited to begin Week 2 prep, but he's optimistic about the tight end's health, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Freiermuth was on the receiving end of a big hit from the 49ers' Ambry Thomas just before halftime of Sunday's season opener, but the tight end stayed in the game and scored the Steelers' only touchdown before departing in the second half. A chest injury is to blame, but with an extra day to prepare for Monday's contest against the Browns, he may have a better chance of suiting up. Thursday's practice report will set the tone for his Week 2 availability.

The Broncos expect Dulcich (hamstring) to miss multiple weeks, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Dulcich was forced out of the Week 1 loss to the Raiders early after injuring the same hamstring that caused him to miss seven games as a rookie. It remains to be seen whether the Broncos consider the second-year tight end a candidate for IR. Adam Trautman will remain atop the depth chart at the position for Denver while Dulcich is sidelined.

Turner caught one of two targets for 10 yards in a 20-16 win over the Cardinals this past Sunday.

Turner got a lot of work with the first-team offense this preseason while Logan Thomas was sidelined by a calf injury, but Thomas was healthy for Week 1 and played more than 80 percent of snaps on offense. Turner, on the other hand, played only 14 percent, suggesting any hope for fantasy value depends on Thomas missing time. The Commanders play at Denver in Week 2.

Thomas caught four of his team-high eight targets for 43 yards in Sunday's 20-16 win over Arizona.

In addition to his surprising team lead in targets, the 32-year-old tight end played 82 percent of snaps on offense, not far behind WRs Terry McLaurin (89 percent) and Jahan Dotson (87 percent). The Commanders undoubtedly want more of the targets going to those two, and the Cardinals were a particularly good matchup for the tight end, but Thomas could still average a handful of looks per week or even slightly more if he's able to stay on the field. A trip to Denver in Week 2 marks the start of what could be a stretch of tough matchups however, as the Commanders subsequently face the Bills in Week 3 and the Eagles in Week 4.

Kincaid caught all four of his targets for 26 yards in Monday's 22-16 overtime loss to the Jets.

Kincaid put forth an efficient, albeit subdued, NFL debut. He had one more yard than veteran tight end Dawson Knox on the same number of targets. Both Knox and Kincaid should get their fair share of attention from quarterback Josh Allen in a pass-heavy Buffalo offense.