NFL Player News

Kittle likely will suit up for Sunday's preseason game at the Chargers, David Lombardi of The Athletic reports.

After Friday's joint practice with the Chargers, coach Kyle Shanahan indicated San Francisco starters will play "a quarter, a quarter and a half" Sunday. Clearly, Kittle is among those players, but it wouldn't surprise if Shanahan has a quicker leash with Kittle, the team's top pass catcher, than other first stringers.

Goedert is in line to play in Thursday's preseason contest versus the Patriots, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Goedert and fellow tight end Zach Ertz were in the starting lineup in preseason Week 1 and appear poised to reprise their normal roles this week. Last Thursday, Goedert (five snaps on offense) hauled in his only target for 34 yards, while Ertz (seven such plays) had two catches for 20 yards on three targets. The three receptions between the pair doubled as Jalen Hurts' only completions of the game, reflecting Goedert and Ertz' places in the Eagles offense. But rookie first-round wideout DeVonta Smith is slated to make his pro debut Thursday, and No. 1 RB Miles Sanders likely will be out there, too, so the TEs will have additional competition for targets.

Henry (shoulder) isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

The same applies to fellow TEs Jonnu Smith (ankle) and Matt LaCosse, which should result in Devin Asiasi being busy Thursday night. Henry has been making progress since suffering a shoulder injury earlier this month, but it's unclear if he'll make his game debut with the Patriots before Week 1 of the regular season.

Smith (ankle) isn't expected to play in Thursday's preseason game against the Eagles, Andrew Callahan of Boston Herald reports.

The same applies to Hunter Henry (shoulder) and Matt LaCosse. As a result, Devin Asiasi could be busy Thursday, while fullback Jakob Johnson could also see some snaps in two-TE sets versus the Eagles.

Wolf (ankle) participated in team drills during Wednesday's practice, Sean Fazende of FOX 8 WVUE-TV reports.

While Wolf missed practice time during the start of training camp because of an ankle injury, he logged seven offensive snaps during New Orleans' preseason opener last weekend. Since it doesn't appear that he's suffered any sort of setback since, the Tennessee product seems set to make another preseason appearance Monday against the Jaguars.

Hockenson (undisclosed) won't play in Saturday's preseason game against Pittsburgh but should ramp up his practice involvement next week, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

Hockenson left practice early Aug. 10 and missed the Lions' preseason opener last Friday. It sounds like he'll have time to get ready for the season opener, with perhaps some chance for an appearance in the third and final preseason game Aug. 27 against Indianapolis. Given the unimpressive state of Detroit's wideout room, Hockenson remains the favorite to lead the team in Week 1 targets.

Andrews had a severe bout of cramping at Thursday's practice, but he avoided a trip to the hospital despite the arrival of a couple ambulances, Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun reports.

It sounds like Andrews overexerted himself on a warm day at a joint practice with the Panthers, temporarily creating a scare. He seems to be okay, but the incident could impact his availability for Saturday's game, that is if the Ravens even planned to play him in the first place. Coach John Harbaugh declined to comment Thursday when reporters asked him about playing-time expectations for QB Lamar Jackson and other key starters Saturday night against Carolina. In any case, Andrews could be in for a busier-than-initially-expected season if the Ravens' wide receivers can't stay healthy. In addition to Rashod Bateman's extended absence for core-muscle surgery, the team has Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins and Miles Boykin dealing with day-to-day or week-to-week type injuries.

The Lions waived Thedford (undisclosed) on Thursday.

Detroit didn't list an injury designation in the transaction, so it appears that Thedford has recovered from the undisclosed issue that forced him to miss some time in late July. The former defensive end, now turned tight end, will look for a chance elsewhere in the league.

Long (lower body) is participating in practice Thursday, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

The rookie tight end was carted off the practice field due to what seemed like a worrying lower body injury roughly two weeks ago, but he's managed to quickly return to health. Long is still visibly playing through leg pain, per Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post, but it doesn't appear that the Dolphins are concerned about him aggravating any injuries. Now that he's back on the field, Long will resume competing to push Adam Shaheen and Durham Smythe for rotational reps behind top tight end Mike Gesicki.

Saubert secured both of his targets for 36 yards in Saturday's 33-6 win over Minnesota.

Saubert gained most of his yardage on a 22-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter of the contest, with his involvement in the passing game a promising sign in his battle for a roster spot. According to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, "Saubert appears to have the No. 3 tight end position locked down." If this becomes reality, the veteran will find himself behind incumbent starter Noah Fant and Albert Okwuegbunam on the depth chart. With that said, Okwuegbunam did not play Saturday as he continues rehab from an ACL surgery last November. It remains unclear if Okwuegbunam will be ready for the season opener. If not, Saubert could find himself taking on a larger role in the offense. The 6-foot-5, 253-pounder will look to build upon this performance and his solid training camp when the Broncos visit the Seahawks in Week 2 of the preseason.