INJURY CONCERNS

KYLE PITTS, ATLANTA FALCONS

Bouncing back from his season-ending Week 10 knee injury will be secondary to Pitts getting reps with new starting QB Desmond Ridder. Pitts was typically the third TE off the boards last summer; he’s dropped a spot or two since then.

DALLAS GOEDERT, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Goedert suffered a shoulder injury the exact same week that Zach Ertz was injured. Goedert missed five weeks, but he did make it back before the end of the season, scoring a touchdown in the playoffs and then catching six passes for 60 yards in Super Bowl LVII.

DARREN WALLER, NEW YORK GIANTS

The Giants would like to get the player Waller was in 2020, when he caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine TDs for the Raiders. The past two seasons, however, have been marred by injuries. Waller missed eight games last season with a lingering hamstring injury.

GEORGE KITTLE, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Kittle hasn’t played a full season since his career year of 2018, when he caught 88 passes for 1,377 yards and five scores. He missed the first two games last season with a groin injury.

HAYDEN HURST, CAROLINA PANTHERS

Hurst will be playing for his third team in the past three seasons. He missed four games each of the past two seasons, suffering an ankle injury with Atlanta in 2021 and a calf injury with Cincinnati last season.

IRV SMITH JR., CINCINNATI BENGALS

Smith had only 25 receptions through Week 8 last season when an ankle injury put him on injured reserve. He came back for the postseason and caught a 3-yard touchdown pass in the playoff loss to the Giants, but the Vikings chose not to re-sign him.

LOGAN THOMAS, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS

Thomas will turn 32 before this season, and perhaps his age is one reason why he was slow to come back from an ACL tear suffered late in 2021. Thomas had a breakout season in 2020, but he missed time in ’21 with a hamstring injury and then the ACL tear.

ZACH ERTZ, ARIZONA CARDINALS

Last season was cut short when Ertz tore his ACL and MCL in Week 10. Ertz, who turns 33 in November, will be especially important for the Cardinals, since starting QB Kyler Murray likely won’t be ready until closer to midseason.

ROBERT TONYAN, CHICAGO BEARS

The Bears are hoping Tonyan can replicate his breakout season of 2020, when he caught 11 touchdown passes for the Packers. Tonyan tore his ACL a season later and missed nine games.

ALBERT OKWUEGBUNAM, DENVER BRONCOS

Okwuegbunam could get a good look in new head coach Sean Payton’s offense, but keep in mind that his injury history includes a torn ACL as a rookie in 2020 and a hamstring issue in ’21.