NFL Player News

Bell (back) returned to full practice Wednesday.

Bell missed the team's Week 6 matchup against Washington. However, he has seemingly recovered from the issue and should be in for a return in Week 7 against the Titans. Bell should continue to occupy the backup tight end role, and he's recorded four receptions for 33 yards through five games on the campaign.

Holtz (quadriceps) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Holtz has missed each of the last two weeks with the injury. It would be reassuring to see him get a full practice in prior to the team's matchup Sunday against Tampa Bay, though his limited participation is a positive step. Holtz has yet to record a catch in four games this season.

Smith (knee) logged a limited practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Smith has been on the injury report with the knee issue since Week 4, though he has managed to suit up for each game. Presumably, that will continue for a Week 7 matchup against Carolina after he got in a limited practice Wednesday. Smith has recorded three receptions for 33 yards to this point in the campaign.

Seals-Jones missed Wednesday's practice due to a quadriceps injury.

Since Logan Thomas hurt his right hamstring Week 4 and landed on injured reserve, Seals-Jones has taken on a large role in Washington passing game. Over nearly three games as the team's top tight end, Seals-Jones has earned at least 90 percent of the offensive snaps in each contest on his way to 11 catches (on 19 targets) for 118 yards and one touchdown. Considering his production and situation, his status will be one to monitor as the week goes on. After Seals-Jones, the Football Team has John Bates, Sammis Reyes and Jace Sternberger at tight end.

Kelce (neck) was listed as a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.

Per James Palmer of NFL Network, Kelce was looked at by trainers during this past Sunday's win over Washington, but he then returned to action. Evidently, the tight end, who logged 67 of 82 snaps in the Week 6 victory, is dealing with a neck issue, but so far there's nothing to suggest that Kelce's status for this weekend's game against the Titans is in any danger.

Njoku (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game against the Broncos after being listed as a full participant on Wednesday's practice report, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

The Browns offense is peppered with key injuries, with starting quarterback Baker Mayfield (shoulder) out and the team's top two running backs, Nick Chubb (calf) and Kareem Hunt (calf) both unavailable. Moreover, the statuses of wideouts Odell Beckham (shoulder) and Jarvis Landry (knee) are cloudy at this stage. With that in mind, it's plausible that Cleveland's tight ends (Njoku, Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant) could be busy Thursday. Njoku, who recorded a 7-149-1 stat line in the team's Week 5 loss to the Chargers, caught just one of his two targets for six yards in this past Sunday's loss to the Cardinals.

Hockenson (knee) didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

The Lions haven't suggested that Hockenson suffered any sort of setback with his lingering knee injury coming out of the team's Week 6 loss to the Bengals, so his absence from Wednesday's session may have been for maintenance purposes more than anything. Though he failed to find the end zone for the fourth straight game last week, Hockenson tied his season high with 11 targets and caught eight balls for 74 yards.

Fant (foot) practiced fully Wednesday and doesn't have an injury designation for Thursday's game in Cleveland, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Fant is good to go on a short week and will be coming off his best performance of the season, as he delivered a 9-97-1 line on 11 targets while the Broncos were forced into catchup mode for most of last Sunday's loss to the Raiders. Another healthy dose of targets should be headed Fant's way Week 7 regardless of the game script, though he may have to make do with Drew Lock at quarterback rather than Teddy Bridgewater. After being listed as a limited participant throughout the week while tending to foot and quadriceps injuries, Bridgewater is questionable for Thursday's contest.

Goedert (illness) wasn't present for Wednesday's practice, as the Eagles have yet to reinstate him from the reserve/COVID-19 list, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Goedert was revealed to have tested positive for COVID-19 on Oct. 12, with the timing of his illness making him unable to gain clearance ahead of last week's Thursday night loss to the Buccaneers. Since Goedert is vaccinated, he's eligible to rejoin the team as soon as he submits two negative test results at least 24 hours apart, but the Eagles' decision not to activate him suggests he's still working his way through health and safety protocols. If Goedert is able to gain clearance ahead of Sunday's game in Las Vegas, he could be in store for one of his largest snap counts of the season now that Zach Ertz has been traded to Arizona. The two had previously shared the field together or split work in one-tight end sets, resulting in Goedert handling snap shares between 55 and 74 percent through his first five games of the season.

The Rams signed Pinkney to the practice squad Wednesday.

Pinkney spent some time on Detroit's practice squad earlier this season. Now, the former Vanderbilt standout will get a chance to develop in Los Angeles.