NFL Player News

Smith (shoulder) was spotted at Wednesday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Smith was forced out of Sunday's win over the Jets after suffering a shoulder injury, but his presence at practice Wednesday bodes well for his chances of being available this weekend against the Chargers. The Patriots will reveal their first Week 8 injury report later Wednesday, with Smith likely to appear as a limited participant in practice.

Wesco (knee) didn't practice Wednesday, Ethan B. Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Wesco landed on the injury report Wednesday with a knee issue, but the severity of the injury is unknown. 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. If he is unable to suit up against the Bengals on Sunday, Daniel Brown may see increased snaps for the first time this season.

Knox, who recently underwent hand surgery, has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

The Bills are holding out hope that Knox will miss one or two games, as he hasn't been placed on injured reserve following a Week 7 bye. Tommy Sweeney looks set to serve as the Bills' top pass-catching tight end against Miami, but Buffalo is expected to sign a free agent or promote another player from the practice squad to provide depth Week 8.

Thomas (hamstring) was seen working out on a side field during Monday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

It's a sign of progress, though it doesn't necessarily mean Thomas is ready for a return to practice. Thomas has already spent the three-game minimum on injured reserve, and while he's technically eligible to return for Sunday's game against Denver, head coach Ron Rivera doesn't seem optimistic. Rivera used the term "week-to-week" to describe Thomas as recently as Monday, hinting that the tight end is unlikely to return before the Week 9 bye. The team has deployed Ricky Seals-Jones in an every-down role at tight end in Thomas' absence.

Engram isn't participating in Wednesday's practice, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Engram is inside team facilities working with the training staff to begin Wednesday's session, so he's seemingly tending to an injury. The tight end was banged up heading into the Giants' Week 7 win over the Panthers, but he played through a calf injury en route to recording six receptions for 44 yards on eight targets. With the Giants set to play the Chiefs on Monday in Week 8, New York won't release its first official injury report of the week until Thursday.

Johnson caught his lone target for eight yards in Monday's 13-10 win over the Seahawks.

Johnson played second fiddle to Adam Trautman at the tight end, seeing two fewer targets. Since bursting on the scene with two touchdowns in the Saints' blowout win over the Packers in the season opener, Johnson has produced a 4-51-1 receiving line on eight targets over New Orleans' subsequent five contests.

Stoll failed to draw a target in Sunday's 33-23 loss the the Raiders.

Operating as the No. 2 tight end behind Dallas Goedert, Stoll played 19 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Stoll will likely remain next in line behind Goedert, but he won't see nearly as sizable of a role as Zach Ertz handled prior to being dealt to Arizona.

Dissly wasn't targeted in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints.

Dissly scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 6. However, he failed to receive a target for the second time this season in Week 7 despite recording 40 offensive snaps, ahead of Gerald Everett (33). Dissly has now produced 10 receptions (12 targets) for 118 yards and a touchdown through seven contests.

Everett caught all three of his targets for 11 yards and rushed once for 12 yards in Monday's 13-10 loss to the Saints.

The Seahawks leaned heavily on the ground game, rushing the ball 28 times compared to just 22 passing attempts, so Will Dissly out-snapped Everett 40-33 due to his superior blocking ability. However, Dissly didn't receive a target. Everett has now produced 13 receptions (15 targets) for 128 yards and a touchdown through five games.

Daniels (hamstring) was a limited participant during Tuesday's practice, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Daniels didn't practice at all last week and was inactive for the Cardinals' Week 7 win over the Texans, so it is a positive sign to see him back at practice, even if it is in a limited fashion. Arizona faces Green Bay on Sunday, so Daniels will have one more shot Wednesday to log a full practice. If he is unable to suit up Thursday, Demetrius Harris will likely operate as the backup to recently acquired Zach Ertz.