NFL Player News

Ertz (calf) practiced on a limited basis Wednesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Ertz missed the entire preseason slate due to a calf issue, sitting out all practices since Aug. 4. Just more than one month later, the 10th-year tight end may be putting himself in a position to play Sunday against Kansas City after being termed "day-to-day" by head coach Kliff Kingsbury on Monday, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site. If Ertz is limited or unable to suit up this weekend, Trey McBride and Maxx Williams (knee) are next up for reps at tight end.

Tonyan (knee) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice, Jason Wilde of ESPN.com reports.

Tonyan has progressed steadily from the torn ACL in his left knee that he suffered Week 8 of last season, getting removed from the PUP list Aug. 14 and eventually mixing into team drills Aug. 28. Head coach Matt LaFleur has said that he's unsure whether Tonyan will be healthy enough to suit up Week 1 at Minnesota, and the tight end's activity level Wednesday would seem to back that up. Fortunately for Tonyan, he has two more chances to log a full session before week's end, at which point the Packers could make a ruling on his availability for the opener.

Brown (hamstring) isn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Brown missed the final two preseason games due to a hamstring injury but appears to be a full go ahead of Week 1. The fifth-year tight end has caught 37 of 50 targets for 334 yards and two scores across his first two seasons in Houston. Though he's listed atop Houston's unofficial depth chart at tight end and may draw the start Sunday against the Colts, Brown is expected to function mostly as a blocker while Brevin Jordan profiles as the Texans' top receiving threat at the position.

Sample (ankle) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice.

Sample had to be carted off the field after suffering a knee injury at the beginning of August, but the details of the issue were never released. The 2019 second-round pick missed the entire preseason, but he appears to be full go ahead of Week 1. If available Sunday, Sample is projected to be the primary backup behind newcomer Hayden Hurst to start the 2022 campaign.

Myarick (foot) was a full participant during Wednesday's practice, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Myarick was dealing with a minor foot injury during the preseason, but as expected, he's returned to practice and should be full go for the regular season. While he's listed as a fullback on the Giants' official roster, Myarick is expected to operate as a backup option at tight end behind Daniel Bellinger (concussion) this season.

Bellinger (concussion) isn't listed on the injury report for Sunday's game in Tennessee, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Bellinger didn't take long to pass through concussion protocol after suffering the head injury Aug. 28 in the Giants' final preseason game. He earned most of the first-team snaps at tight end throughout the preseason, and while he didn't do much with them, Bellinger could be the Week 1 starter at what looks like the team's weakest position. Behind him, the Giants have only 27-year-old Tanner Hudson and 25-year-old Chris Myarick, a duo with eight combined catches in the NFL. Bellinger is listed with the starters on the team's first depth chart of the regular season.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle won't practice Wednesday due to a groin injury, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, Kittle picked up the issue at Monday's session, and Shanahan added he's unsure of the tight end's availability for Sunday's game at Chicago. Kittle's activity level thus bears watching as the week goes on, but if he ends up limited or out this weekend, the likes of Tyler Kroft, Charlie Woerner and Ross Dwelley are next up at tight end for the 49ers.

Ricci (hip) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Ricci suffered the injury during the preseason finale, but he'll have a chance to suit up in Week 1 after returning to practice Wednesday. The undrafted fullback out of Western Michigan appeared in 16 games for the Panthers as a rookie and operated mostly on special teams. If healthy, he figures to garner a similar role in 2022.

Turner (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Turner missed all of Washington's preseason games due to his lingering left hamstring injury. It looks as though the rookie fifth-round pick still has a chance to suit up for Sunday's regular-season opener against Jacksonville, but he may have to upgrade to full participation in order to gain clearance.

Bates (calf) was a full practice participant Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Bates missed most of the summer but now has a decent shot at the Week 1 start. Fellow tight end Logan Thomas (knee), who is working his way back from a torn ACL, was a limited participant Wednesday and said earlier this week that he hoped to be ready for the first or second game of the season. Even if Thomas suits up for the opener against Jacksonville, the 31-year-old isn't likely to jump right back into his three-down role of years past.