NFL Player News

Lewis (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Lewis is following his usual practice regimen, as the veteran tight end is managing his reps to start the week. It's likely that Lewis will be able to play in Sunday's game against the Eagles, but expect his practice availability throughout the week to paint a clearer picture. Despite racking up his third touchdown of the season last week, he's only logged a 7-56-3 stat line though nine games to this point of the season.

Smith was a non-participant in Wednesday's practice due to a back injury.

Smith missed two of the last three games due to a groin issue, but he now appears to be dealing with a new injury. Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com relays that while Smith was in attendance for Wednesday's workout, he wasn't sporting a helmet. Kyle Rudolph will operate as Minnesota's clear top tight end again if Smith can't return Week 13 against the Jaguars.

Pruitt (knee) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Radio reports.

Pruitt hasn't played since spraining his knee in Week 9, but it appears he has finally put the injury in the rear-view mirror. He'll provide some tight end depth for the Titans against the Browns on Sunday barring a setback.

Ertz (ankle) was limited at practice Wednesday.

Activated from injured reserve earlier Wednesday, Ertz appears to be easing into things as he seeks his first appearance since Week 6. Prior to that point, he wasn't exactly clicking within the Eagles offense, hauling in 24 of 45 targets for 178 yards and one touchdown in six games. Ertz will look to ramp up his activity level as the week goes on.

Hurst was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice with an ankle injury, Will McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Hurst hasn't yet missed a game this season, though he did pop up on the injury report with an ankle issue in late November. The fact that the tight end is practicing in at least a limited capacity to start the week is a hint that he's trending in the right direction for Sunday's game against the Saints, barring any setbacks.

Smith wasn't present at the portion of Wednesday's practice that was open to the media, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

During the Titans' Week 12 win over the Colts, Smith handled a normal 75-percent snap share, and he didn't appear to be injured at any point during the contest. The Titans' first official injury report of Week 13 will be released later Wednesday, at which point more information about Smith's situation will be known.

Tomlinson has been elevated from the practice squad for Wednesday's game against the Steelers.

Tomlinson will share tight end duties with fellow practice squad call-ups Luke Willson and Sean Culkin, as usual starting tight end Mark Andrews remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Keene (knee) returned to practice Wednesday, opening the three-week window for the tight end to be activated from IR, Mike Reiss of ESPN NFL Nation reports.

Keene can be removed from IR whenever the team deems him ready, but he'll need to show that he's good to go in practice first. Given New England's lack of tight end usage in the passing game this season, Keene's unlikely to make much of an impact even once deemed healthy.

The Eagles activated Ertz (ankle) from injured reserve Wednesday.

Before suffering a high-ankle sprain Oct. 18, Ertz had caught 24 of his 45 targets for 178 yards and a touchdown in six games. In his absence, Dallas Goedert and Richard Rodgers headed the Eagles' tight-end corps, but the return of Ertz dampens the outlooks for the former two players. Ertz should reclaim a significant share of the offensive snaps after he was on the field for no fewer than 85 percent of the Eagles' plays in any of the first five games of the season, but the poor efficiency he showed while ostensibly healthy in those contests means that he shouldn't necessarily be viewed as a surefire fantasy starter now that he's back in action.

Firkser did not haul in his only target during Sunday's 45-26 win against Indianapolis.

Tennessee only elected to go to the air 22 times against the AFC South rival Colts. Instead, pounding the rock 45 times to the tune of 5.1 yards per attempt with four rushing scores. Firkser posted multiple receptions in six of his seven preceding appearances entering Week 12, but Sunday's effort represented his second zero-catch effort of the 2020 campaign. He remains with one TD on the season as Tennessee readies for a Week 13 home game against Cleveland.