NFL Player News

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.

Schultz (knee) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Schultz continues to deal with the ramifications of aggravating a PCL sprain Week 5, but he's coming off his most productive performance since the season opener this past Sunday against the Lions (5-49-0 receiving line on five targets). With a Week 9 bye after this Sunday's matchup with the Bears, the Cowboys may take it easy on Schultz in practice with a respite on the horizon.

Trautman (ankle) didn't practice Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Trautman was unable to play in the Saints' Week 7 loss to the Cardinals due to an ankle injury and remains sidelined to start Week 8 prep. In his absence last week, Juwan Johnson stepped in to serve as the Saints' primary tight end and secured all five of his targets for 32 yards and two scores. Trautman will have two more opportunities to practice before the team needs to make a decision on his status for Sunday's matchup against the Raiders.

Hockenson didn't practice Wednesday due to a knee issue.

Hockenson previously dealt with hip and foot injuries this season, but he's been able to suit up in all six of the Lions' games, earning between 76 and 91 percent of the offensive snaps on each occasion. With a new health concern in tow, his status should be watched closely as the week rolls along to ensure he'll be available this Sunday against the Dolphins. If active this weekend, Hockenson will be joined by top running back D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) for the first time since Week 3 and likely wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (concussion), who were full and limited participants, respectively, at Wednesday's session.

Freiermuth was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Freiermuth, who missed his team's Week 6 win over the Buccaneers due to a concussion, returned to action in this past Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, logging 44 of a possible 75 snaps on offense en route to catching eight of his nine targets for 75 yards. Now that he's on the injury report with an ankle issue, the tight end's status is worth monitoring in the coming days, but so far there's nothing to suggest that Freiermuth's availability for Sunday's game against the Eagles is in danger.