NFL Player News

Hurst was a limited participant Thursday in the Bengals' first Week 8 practice due to groin and ankle injuries, Jay Morrison of The Athletic reports.

Dating back to Week 3, Hurst has missed out on some practice reps on account of the groin injury, but he has suited up in every game this season. The tight end is apparently also nursing an ankle issue coming out of the Bengals' Week 7 win overt he Falcons, but the fact that Hurst was on the field in any capacity Thursday suggests the newer injury isn't much of a concern either. Assuming he upgrades to full activity by Saturday, Hurst likely won't carry a designation into the Bengals' Monday night matchup with the Browns.

Hockenson (knee) was limited in practice Thursday.

After kicking off Week 8 prep with no on-field activity, Hockenson bumped up to a capped session Thursday and now has one more practice to get back to full before the Lions potentially give him a designation for Sunday's game versus the Dolphins. The offense as a whole is getting healthier with No. 1 RB D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) avoiding any practice limitations this week, though top WR Amon-Ra St. Brown remains in the concussion protocol. If both are able to play this weekend, Hockenson, if active, would have more room to operate underneath.

Thomas (calf) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

After not practicing or playing each of the past three weeks, Thomas looks like he'll have a chance at returning to action Sunday in Indianapolis now that he's practiced on consecutive days, albeit in a limited capacity. He'll almost certainly need to graduate to full activity Friday to enter the weekend without a designation, but even another limited showing could put him in good position to play against the Colts. Over Washington's first four games of the season, Thomas registered 13 receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown on 20 targets.

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

Trautman has yet to resume practicing since suffering a left ankle injury in the Saints' Week 6 loss to the Bengals, and unless he's able to get back on the field in some capacity Friday, he'll likely be ruled out for a second straight game this weekend against the Raiders. While Trautman was sidelined in the Saints' Week 7 loss to the Cardinals, Juwan Johnson stepped in as the team's top tight end and recorded five receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns.

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.