NFL Player News

Tonyan was limited in Thursday's practice due to a knee injury, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Tonyan wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, so the extent of his participation in Friday's session will warrant close monitoring. The 26-year-old tight end only saw one target during last Thursday's win in San Francisco, his least amount of looks since Week 1.

Smith didn't practice Thursday due to a groin injury.

On the heels of a two-touchdown performance Week 9 against the Lions, Smith is focusing on recovery rather than practice to kick off Week 10 prep. He'll have two more opportunities to prove his health before the Vikings potentially tab him with a designation for Monday's game at Chicago, but an absence from Smith would vault Tyler Conklin into a bigger role behind veteran TE Kyle Rudolph.

Hockenson (toe) didn't practice Thursday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson wasn't listed on Wednesday's injury report, so the extent of his participation during Friday's session should shed light on the tight end's chances of suiting up against Washington on Sunday, but for the time being question marks surround his availability. With Kenny Golladay (hip) trending in the wrong direction for Week 10, an absence on Hockenson's part could leave Detroit's pass catching corps depleted of two of its top options.

The Bills (foot) activated Sweeney off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sweeney has yet to suit up in game action this season, as he's battled a foot injury and placement on the COVID-19 list. The team is pretty set with Dawson Knox and Tyler Kroft as the top two receiving options at tight end, so if Sweeney does end up playing this season he'll likely only assume a blocking role for the offense.

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

Lewis has been a recurring member of the Packers' injury report due to this knee injury, but he's managed to play in the last four games. The veteran tight end typically sticks to a blocking role, but he has scored twice on just four receptions this year.

Smythe (concussion) is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's injury report, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins only hosted a walk-through Wednesday, so Smythe's "limited" listing is just an estimation of what he would have done in a full practice. Nonetheless, it serves as an indication that the backup tight end is progressing through the concussion protocol.

Alie-Cox (knee) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report but is considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Titans.

The Colts held three walk-through sessions this week in lieu of practices, with Alie-Cox going down as a non-participant Monday and a limited participant Tuesday before upgrading to full activity. As such, Alie-Cox probably has a better than 50-50 chance of playing than his questionable designation implies, and he could have a heightened role if he suits up with fellow tight end Jack Doyle (concussion) ruled out for the contest.

Fant (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Fant aggravated an existing ankle injury during Sunday's loss to the Falcons, but he was able to return to the contest to finish with three receptions for 45 yards. Despite the second-year tight end having tending to the injury off and on since early October, coach Vic Fangio expects that Fant will continue to play through it. Fant has already been taking on most of the snaps at tight end this season, and the Broncos may be forced to rely on him even more moving forward after top backup Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) sustained a season-ending ACL tear last week.

Vannett is one of the few healthy bodies in Denver's tight-end room with Albert Okwuegbunam (ACL), Andrew Beck (hamstring) and Jake Butt (hamstring) all heading to injured reserve during the past week, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

That rash of injuries doesn't even include Noah Fant's continued ankle troubles. The Broncos were doing well by mixing in Okwuegbunam in recent weeks, but don't expect Vannett to fill that role. He and Okwuegbunam are of very different skill sets, and Vannett has never been much of a consistent threat in the passing game. Vannett heads into Sunday's game against Las Vegas with just six catches on the season and just one outing with multiple catches this year. The Broncos figure to run even more three-receiver sets -- their most common personnel grouping -- than they already have.

Arnold hauled in his lone target for a 16-yard reception during Sunday's 34-31 loss to the Dolphins.

Arnold was coming off a season best 57-yard outing in his last game Week 7 against the Seahawks, but he offered little production in the three games prior. The 25-year-old averaged 24.3 receiving yards per game over the first quarter of the regular season, but he proceeded to go untargeted on a combined 53 snaps Weeks 5 and 6. With Darrell Daniels securing a 21-yard TD pass from Kyler Murray on Sunday, Arnold currently finds himself playing second fiddle at the tight end position.