NFL Player News

Washington designated Thomas (hamstring) for return from injured reserve Wednesday.

Thomas appeared close to rejoining his healthy teammates for practice both of the past two weeks, but he was relegated to working out on a side field after Washington elected to delay opening up his 21-day evaluation window. The Football Team seemingly believes Thomas is now ready to take the next step forward in his recovery from a right hamstring injury, and if he fares well in his return to practice this week, he could be an option to play Monday against the Seahawks. Ricky Seals-Jones (hip) has served as the primary replacement at tight end while Thomas has missed the past six games, but while both were sidelined due to injuries in the Week 11 win over Carolina, rookie John Bates (three catches for 23 yards) played 98 percent of the offensive snaps in his first NFL start.

Bates caught each of his three targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 27-21 win over the Panthers.

Bates operated as the Washington's No. 1 tight end Sunday with Ricky Seals-Jones (hip) sidelined and Logan Thomas (hamstring) still on injured reserve. The rookie played all but one of the team's offensive snaps, and his three catches were the second-highest total for any Washington pass catcher. With Thomas nearing his return and Seals-Jones also having a shot to play Week 12 against the Seahawks, Bates may be in store for just a one-game run as Washington's starting tight end.

Myarick has reverted back to the Giants' practice squad, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.

The Giants elevated Myrick to its 53-man roster prior to Monday's 30-10 loss to the Bucs. It was his second game on the active roster this season. He ultimately did not record any statistics.

Trautman (knee) was placed on injured reserve Tuesday.

Trautman's move off the 53-man roster was fully expected after Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Monday that the tight end sustained an MCL sprain in Sunday's 40-29 loss to the Eagles. He's expected to need 4-6 weeks to make a full recovery from the injury, so the Saints will likely be without him until at least late December. Trautman's move to IR comes at a particularly unfortunate time, as he was just beginning to carve out a more pronounced role in the team's passing attack with six or more targets in each of the Saints' past four games. New orleans will likely lean on a committee of Nick Vannett, Garrett Griffin and Juwan Johnson to replace Trautman, with Johnson representing the best pass-catching option of the trio.

Parham caught four of his five targets for 38 yards in the 41-37 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Parham continues to cut into Jared Cook's workload, as he was on the field for 42 percent of offensive snaps. The young tight end has now caught three or more passes in two of his last three games. The 2019 undrafted free agent's usage should continue throughout the remainder of the season, particularly as he continues to excel in the red zone.

Sternberger signed with the Steelers' practice squad Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Sternberger was selected in the third round of the 2019 Draft by the Packers, appearing in a total of 18 games for them. In 2020 he recorded 12 catches on 15 targets for 114 yards and a touchdown in 12 games. Before the 2021 season began, Sternberger was waived by the Packers and has since spent time with Seattle and Washington. With Eric Ebron (knee) likely to miss extended time, Sternberger will provide emergency tight end depth for the Steelers from the practice squad.

Rader was promoted to the Steelers' active roster Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Rader was active in Week 9 against the Bears, making a one-yard catch on his only snap. The Youngstown State product has been with the team since 2019, appearing in one other game in 2020. With Eric Ebron (knee) likely to miss extended time, Rader will provide depth behind Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry.

Alie-Cox failed to catch his only target in Sunday's win at Buffalo.

While his lack of production was mostly due to game script (Indy attempted just 20 passes amid 264 yards rushing), it's also the fourth consecutive game in which he's had less of a role in the passing game than Jack Doyle (three receptions at Buffalo). The Indy passing game should be more active next week against Tampa Bay, but Alie-Cox needs to show more consistency before he can be trusted in most fantasy formats.

Schreck has reverted back to the Bengals' practice squad, per the NFL's transaction report.

Schreck was elevated to the the active roster ahead of Sunday's victory over the Raiders. He ultimately saw five snaps on special teams and failed to record any statistics. He suited up for 14 games in 2020, but this was his first action of the 2021 season.

Johnson caught two of three targets for 36 yards during Sunday's 40-29 loss to Philadelphia.

Back in action after being made a healthy scratch Week 11, Johnson saw a trio of targets for the fourth time in eight games en route to a career high in receiving yards. With starting tight end Adam Trautman (knee) now expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks, we could be seeing a lot more of the second-year Oregon product down the stretch. However, a Week 12 matchup with Buffalo's top defense probably isn't the best spot for Johnson to build upon this performance.