NFL Player News

Ertz was traded from the Eagles to the Cardinals on Friday in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Ertz caught four of six targets for 29 yards and a touchdown during the Eagles' loss to the Buccaneers on Thursday with Dallas Goedert (COVID-19) sidelined, but he's now been sent out west. Ertz was in search of a new contract with Philadelphia and has yet to discuss any deal with Arizona. The move comes after the Cardinals' starting tight end Maxx Williams went down with a potential season-ending injury, so it fills an immediate need. Ertz caught 18 of 31 targets for 189 yards and two touchdowns in six games for Philadelphia this season, and he should make his with his new team against Houston in Week 7 because he's already played this week and isn't eligible to suit up Sunday at Cleveland.

Ertz brought in four of six targets for 29 yards and a touchdown in the Eagles' 28-22 loss to the Buccaneers on Thursday night.

Ertz paced the Eagles in receptions and was on the receiving end of a five-yard scoring toss from Jalen Hurts in the first quarter. The veteran tight end's touchdown was his first of the season and only his second since 2019, as he served as the top tight end in the absence of Dallas Goedert (reserve/COVID-19). Ertz does have at least four catches in three of his past four contests, giving some deep-league fantasy value going into a Week 7 road battle against the Raiders irrespective of Goedert's status for that contest.

Waller (rest/knee) practiced in full Thursday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

After getting Wednesday off to rest up his knee, Waller was back in his usual capacity one day later as the Raiders' top tight end and No. 1 pass catcher. Even though he's fallen well shy of the whopping 19 targets he saw in the season opener, he's still garnered seven or eight in each of the ensuing four games for a combined 18-214-1 line on 29 targets. Waller can expect a similar workload Sunday against the Broncos' sixth-ranked pass defense (207 yards per game allowed).

Ertz will serve as the Eagles' clear top tight end in Thursday's game against the Buccaneers with Dallas Goedert (illness) still on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

Goedert tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, leaving him little time to clear the necessary protocols and be available Thursday. Indeed, the Eagles didn't activate Goedert before Thursday's 4:00 p.m. ET deadline to do so. Ertz thus figures to be far more active as a receiver than he previously has been this season. Through five contests, he's earned between 50 and 62 percent of the offensive snaps and two and eight targets on each occasion, while Goedert's respective ranges have been 55-74 percent and 2-5 targets. Philly regularly uses two tight-end sets, so Jack Stoll and the elevated Noah Togiai should get on the field, but most of Ertz' and Goedert's combined average of 8.8 targets per game likely will go to Ertz.

Togiai was elevated from the practice squad ahead of Thursday night's matchup against the Buccaneers.

The tight end will replace Dallas Goedert (illness) on the roster and serve as a depth option at the position behind Zach Ertz. Togiai was signed to the Eagles' practice squad Monday and will appear in his first game of the season.

Tonyan (knee) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday.

Listed similarly on a second consecutive injury report, Tonyan's status for Week 6 is somewhat cloudy, but it could all be cleared up if he logs a full practice Friday. If he's able to do so, he'll look to get his season back on track Sunday against a Bears defense that allowed him to haul in all seven targets for 85 yards and touchdowns in two 2020 matchups.

Njoku (knee) returned to a limited practice Thursday.

Njoku, who caught all seven of his targets for 149 yards and a touchdown in the Browns' 47-42 loss to the Chargers in Week 5, sat out Wednesday's practice with a knee issue, but his return to a limited session has him trending in the right direction as Sunday's game against the Cardinals approaches. Friday's final injury report will reveal whether the tight end heads into the weekend carrying an injury designation or is able to finish the week with a full practice and subsequently cleared to play.

Daniels (illness) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Following a positive COVID-19 test last week, Daniels has since cleared all of the NFL's intensive protocols, but the Cardinals have still elected to ease the tight end back into the fold with a pair of limited practices to kick off Week 6 prep. Assuming Daniels is deemed fit to play this weekend against the Browns, he'll likely step into a larger role than he saw prior to missing last week's win over the 49ers. With top tight end Maxx Williams (knee) heading to season-ending injured reserve Wednesday, Daniels and Demetrius Harris appear set to split work at the position for the foreseeable future.

Goedert (illness) won't be available for Thursday's game against the Buccaneers after he wasn't reinstated from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the 4 p.m. ET deadline for the Eagles to make Week 6 roster moves, Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

As expected, Goedert wasn't able to clear all COVID-19-related health and safety protocols on a short week after it was revealed Tuesday he tested positive for the virus. Since he's fully vaccinated, Goedert will be eligible for reinstatement as soon as he's asymptomatic and submits two negative tests at least 24 hours apart. With Goedert out for the Week 6 matchup, Zach Ertz could be in store for his heaviest snap share of the season as the Eagles' clear top tight end.

Hockenson (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson is managing the knee injury for the second week in a row, but the Lions haven't provided any indication that he suffered a setback coming out of Sunday's loss to the Vikings. Though he was held to just 22 yards on two receptions in the contest and then didn't practice Wednesday, Hockenson's return to the field Thursday likely puts him on pace to play this weekend against Cincinnati. However, Hockenson may need to upgrade to full activity Friday to avoid taking a questionable tag into the matchup.