NFL Player News

Brown (thigh) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams after failing to practice Friday, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Brown's trending in the wrong direction, as he failed to practice Friday after being limited Thursday. If the burly tight end can't go come game day, Jordan Akins would likely have a near-monopoly on snaps at tight end, though neither option has been effective as a pass-catcher in their current timeshare.

Hill (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Tampa Bay, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.

Hill was unable to practice at all this week and still hasn't resumed practicing since being concussed back in Week 5. He presumably has yet to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and will need to do so in order to give himself a chance to play in Week 9 against the Falcons. Trevor Siemian will continue to back up Jameis Winston against the Buccaneers.

Freiermuth is expected to have an elevated workload in Sunday's game at Cleveland with Eric Ebron (hamstring) sidelined, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Ebron injured his hamstring at Thursday's practice and didn't get on the field Friday, paving the way for Freiermuth to make his fourth start of the season. Freiermuth is coming off a season-best performance Week 6 against the Seahawks -- seven catches (on seven targets) for 58 yards on 60 percent snap share -- and now the rookie second-round pick seems poised for a career-best share of the offensive plays.

Kroft (back) upgraded to full practice participation Friday but is still listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Kroft hasn't seen the field since Week 4 while tending to a back injury, but his full practice participation Friday suggests he's trending in the right direction after being limited Wednesday and Thursday. If he's able to suit up Sunday, Kroft will face a Bengals team with which he spent his first four seasons. That stint in Cincinnati included a career-best 2017 campaign in which Kroft scored seven touchdowns, but the 29-year-old tight end has just five touchdowns in his other six seasons combined.

Hockenson (ankle/knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Eagles.

Despite being listed on the injury report for much of the season, Hockenson has played at least 80 percent of snaps on offense in every game, with his 53 targets narrowly topping D'Andre Swift's 52 for the team lead. The third-year tight end should be a big part of Detroit's gameplan this Sunday against a slumping Philadelphia defense.

Engram (calf) remained limited in practice Friday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Engram missed the first two games of the season due to his injured calf, but he has suited up for every game since despite frequent appearances on Big Blue's injury report. With trade rumors swirling around him heading into the Nov. 2 trade deadline, Engram will have an opportunity to entice potential suitors with a strong performance Monday against a Chiefs defense that has allowed a league-high 575 yards to tight ends through seven games.

Tonyan (knee) was diagnosed with an ACL tear on Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The tight end went down grabbing his left knee after a long reception in the third quarter of Thursday's 24-21 win over the Cardinals. It didn't look good at the time, and agent Jack Bechta has since confirmed that his client will miss the rest of the season. Bechta did provide one possible silver lining, noting that Tonyan suffered an isolated tear with no lateral damage. It's still a season-ending injury, but that could help Tonyan's recovery/rehab process next offseason. Meanwhile, the Packers are left with Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney and Tyler Davis at tight end.

Ricci (concussion) has been cleared to play for the Panthers in their Week 8 contest with the Falcons on Sunday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Ricci suffered a concussion in Week 6 versus the Vikings and was forced to exit that game early. The fullback was ruled out of Week 7 action but will look to make his return to the field in Week 8 after getting cleared from concussion protocols Friday. Expect Ricci to play a minimal role in the Panthers' offense Sunday.

Wesco (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's contest against the Bengals, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Wesco was a late addition to the injury report Wednesday, and he has now officially been ruled out for Week 8 with a knee injury. The 26-year-old has played 82 offensive snaps across the Jets' first six games of the 2021 campaign, but he has failed to record any offensive stats. Daniel Brown will likely step into Wesco's reserve role against the Bengals on Sunday.

Though coach Matt LaFleur didn't provide specifics with regard to the non-contact knee injury Tonyan suffered in Thursday's 24-21 win over the Cardinals, Mike Spofford of the Packer's official site indicates that the tight end may have suffered a serious injury.

Per Spofford, LaFleur's tone when discussing Tonyan's status following the contest suggests that the team is bracing for the worst. "I'm sick for Bobby. He means so much to this team," LaFleur said. "I'm sick for us. My heart goes out to him." If Tonyan is forced to miss time, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara and Dominique Dafney would be in line to handle Green Bay's tight end duties.