NFL Player News

James was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

The tight end will now likely be unavailable for the team's Monday night matchup with the Vikings as he goes through COVID-19 protocols. With Cole Kmet (illness), Jesper Horsted (illness) and Jimmy Graham (knee) questionable for Week 15, J.P. Holtz is the only healthy option remaining at the position going into Friday.

Hurst (illness) practiced in full Thursday.

One day removed from sitting out due to an illness, Hurst returned and handled every rep thrown his way. Playing behind rookie standout Kyle Pitts this season, Hurst has accrued a 21-161-2 line on 26 targets in 10 appearances.

Graham (knee) was listed as limited on Thursday's practice estimate.

Who may be available at tight end for Chicago on Monday against the Vikings is in flux. Not only is Graham on the injury report, Cole Kmet and Jesper Horsted didn't practice Thursday due to illness, and Jesse James (undisclosed) was one of five Bears to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Those four players aside, J.P. Holtz is the sole healthy TE on the active roster.

Moreau (abdomen) remained a limited participant in Thursday's practice but doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Browns, Rachel Gossen of the Raiders' official site reports.

Though Las Vegas capped Moreau's reps throughout the week, he displayed enough progress in his recovery from the abdominal injury for the Raiders to give him the green light for the weekend. Meanwhile, Darren Waller (knee/back) failed to practice in any capacity and will miss his third straight game, paving the way for Moreau to pick up another start. In his previous two outings while filling in for Waller, Moreau was on the field for 106 of the Raiders' 116 offensive snaps (91.4 percent) and stringed together a 4-47-0 receiving line on nine targets.

Kmet was held out of Thursday's walkthrough due to an illness.

While Kmet was one of eight Bears to miss the session for this reason, the team placed five players, including fellow tight end Jesse James (undisclosed), on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday. As for the rest of the TE room, Jimmy Graham was listed as limited due to a knee issue and Jesper Horsted also sat out with an illness, making J.P. Holtz the only healthy member of the position group at the moment.

Cager was signed to the Browns' active roster Thursday.

Cager spent the last few weeks on Cleveland's practice squad, but he'll join the active roster since Jarvis Landry (illness) is on the reserve/COVID-19 list and Anthony Schwartz (concussion) has been ruled out for Saturday's game against the Raiders. Cager played just one offensive snap in his lone regular-season appearance this year.

Carlson (knee) was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Carlson will now be able to rejoin the team, but he'll remain on injured reserve after he underwent season-ending knee surgery in mid-August. The 25-year-old had a strong performance in camp and could compete for a 53-man roster spot in 2022.

Waller (knee/back) won't play Saturday against the Browns, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com and Josh Dubow of the Associated Press report.

Tashan Reed of The Athletic relays via interim coach Rich Bisaccia that Waller is dealing with some lingering pain in his knee, and while the tight end is making progress he's not ready for game action at this stage. Waller's next chance to suit up will arrive Sunday, Dec. 26, when the Raiders face the Broncos. Next up for the team's TE snaps this weekend is Foster Moreau.

Bryant (ankle) is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Raiders, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Bryant, who last suited up Week 12, is bouncing back from a high-ankle sprain, but the fact he was able to get some work in during Thursday's practice gives him a chance to return to action this weekend. Meanwhile, fellow tight end Austin Hooper currently is on the reserve/COVID-19 list, while David Njoku was activated from the list Thursday.

Waller (knee/back) was spotted working out with athletic trainers off to the side of Thursday's practice, Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

While the activity seemingly marks a step forward for Waller in his recovery from the strained knee he suffered in the Raiders' Thanksgiving Day win over the Browns, he still looks destined to go down as a non-participant on the team's final Week 15 injury report. If that's the case, Waller will likely take an "out" or "doubtful" tag into Saturday's game in Cleveland, almost certainly resulting in him missing a third consecutive contest. Foster Moreau (abdomen) has logged heavily snap shares in place of Waller the past two games and has collected nine targets along the way, but slot maven Hunter Renfrow (22-219-1 receiving line on 24 targets) has arguably benefited more from the absence of the star tight end.