NFL Player News

Freiermuth (ankle) returned to a full practice Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

After being listed as a limited practice participant Wednesday, the Steelers' starting tight end logged a full session Thursday, setting the stage for Freiermuth to play this weekend against the Eagles. In his return from a one-game absence due to a concussion this past Sunday against Miami, the 2021 second-rounder recorded 44 of a possible 75 snaps on offense en route to catching eight of his nine targets for a team-high 75 yards. Against Philadelphia, Freiermuth should continue to see enough volume to merit Week 8 fantasy lineup consideration.

Brown did not practice Thursday due to the fact he remains in concussion protocols, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Brown entered concussion protocols Wednesday after suffering what was believed to be a neck injury in Sunday's loss to the Ravens. The 28-year-old will have to quickly move through protocols if he's going to suit up Monday against the Bengals. With David Njoku already ruled out due to an ankle injury, the Browns may be depleted at tight end come Monday.

Njoku (ankle) won't practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Jake Trotter of ESPN.com previously reported that Njoku is expected to be sidelined for 2-to-5 weeks due to a high-ankle sprain, with coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday having described the tight end's status as week-to-week. For his part, Njoku hasn't completely ruled himself out for Monday night's game against the Bengals, per Cabot, but it would take a surprising turn of events for him to suit up for the contest, especially with Cleveland on bye Week 9.

Kieft (ankle) will play Thursday against the Ravens.

Kieft was a limited participant in practice each of the last two days, but it appears he'll be good to go for Thursday against Baltimore. With Cameron Brate (neck) out, Kieft should operate as the team's No. 2 tight end, which could make him a worthwhile dart throw in single-game DFS contests. The rookie has two catches on two targets for 37 yards on the season.

Andrews (knee) is hopeful that he'll be able to play Thursday night against the Buccaneers, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Andrews was deemed a non-participant at practice Monday through Wednesday before being listed as questionable for the contest, but the tight end was able to play through his knee issue in this past Sunday's win over the Browns while seeing action on 56 of a possible 64 snaps on offense. Confirmation of Andrews' Week 8 status will arrive once the Ravens' inactives are posted ahead of Thursday's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff, but if he ends up out or limited, added snaps would be available for Isaiah Likely, Josh Oliver and Nick Boyle.

Otton is expected to serve as the Buccaneers' top tight end Thursday against the Ravens with Cameron Brate (neck) listed as out for the contest.

Brate will be sidelined for the third time in four games, setting Otton up another starting opportunity. While playing north of 50 percent of the snaps on offense in each of the Bucs' last four contests, Otton has proven to be a useful short-yardage target for quarterback Tom Brady. In those games, Otton is averaging 3.8 receptions for 39.8 yards on 4.8 targets.

Kieft (ankle) was listed as a limited participant Wednesday.

Kieft has practiced in a limited capacity for two straight days after picking up an injury during the Buccaneers' Week 7 loss to the Panthers. The reserve tight end has recorded two receptions for 37 yards through seven games.

Waller (hamstring) returned practice Wednesday in a limited fashion, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

Waller didn't practice last week before being ruled out ahead of this past Sunday's win over the Texans. The tight end's return to a limited session Wednesday bodes well for his chances of suiting up this weekend against the Saints, but he'll presumably need to log a full practice by the end of the week in order to avoid an injury designation.

Brown was added to the NFL's concussion protocol Wednesday, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Brown was removed from the Cleveland's Week 7 loss to Baltimore with what was initially described as a neck injury. He was evaluated for a concussion and now is part of the protocol, joining teammates Denzel Ward and Joe Haeg. The Browns are expected to be without David Njoku (ankle) in their Week 8 game against the Bengals on Monday and could be without Brown, too, potentially leaving Harrison Bryant as their primary tight end.

Smythe (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

After missing Week 6 due to a hamstring injury, Smythe logged limited practices during Week 7 prep and was ultimately deemed available. It's unclear if he aggravated his previous issue, or if Miami is simply being cautious with the backup tight end. Regardless, Smythe will have two more opportunities to practice before the Dolphins need to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against the Lions.