NFL Player News

Hudson secured one of four targets for nine yards in the Buccaneers' 20-19 loss to the Bears on Thursday night.

Hudson assumed the No. 3 tight end role with O.J. Howard (Achilles) on injured reserve and Antony Auclair (calf) not yet ready to shed that designation. The second-year tight end saw a solid amount of targets for a player listed as third on the positional depth chart as Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Justin Watson (chest) were both sidelined, opening up extra opportunities for Tampa Bay's remaining healthy pass catchers. It remains to be seen if Hudson will be active on gamedays once Auclair is ready to suit up, as the latter is generally considered a superior blocker and also has similar ability to operate downfield.

The Ravens list Andrews (thigh) as questionable for Sunday's game against the Bengals.

Andrews made his first appearance of the season on the injury report Thursday, when he was listed as a limited participant due to the thigh issue. While he was limited again in Friday's session, the Ravens don't seem to be too concerned about Andrews' status for the weekend. According to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, Andrews was jogging and moving around well in the portion of Friday's practice that was open to the media, so the tight end should be ready to handle a normal snap count Week 5. Official word on Andrews' status will arrive when the Ravens release their inactive list approximately 90 minutes before Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Smythe (knee) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the 49res, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

Smythe wasn't able to practice in any capacity this week, so his lack of availability doesn't come as much of a surprise. In his stead, Adam Shaheen will take over as Miami's main backup tight end behind Mike Gesicki.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Friday that Njoku (knee) will be activated from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Colts, Anthony Poisal of Cleveland's official site reports.

The Browns may wait until Saturday's deadline for Week 5 transactions to officially activate Njoku, but the tight end looks like he'll be ready to contribute after a three-week absence due to an MCL sprain. Stefanski noted that Njoku was a full participant in all three of his practices this week, so the 24-year-old likely won't face any restrictions against Indianapolis. That said, high-priced free-agent pickup Austin Hooper and rookie fourth-round pick Harrison Bryant should also retain roles at tight end, making it difficult to count on Njoku taking on significant snaps and target volume in a run-heavy Browns offense.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Thursday that Njoku (knee) is "100 percent" recovered from his injury, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Njoku, who was designated to return from injured reserve earlier this week, is currently in the midst of a 21-day window during which the Browns can evaluate him. If active for Week 5 against the Colts, Njoku's workload could still be limited, as both Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant have played well of late.

Graham caught three passes for 33 yards and a touchdown in the Bears' 20-19 win over the Buccaneers on Thursday.

Especially in the red zone, the Bears continue to feature Graham, often isolating him against cornerbacks when lining him up as an outside receiver, as they did on his touchdown reception. Although his yardage has been inconsistent on a weekly basis, he's now scored in three of five contests, making him a reasonable starting option in typical 12-team leagues.

Dissly (Achilles) was a limited practice participant Thursday, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dissly's practice reps have been capped on occasion this season, but his status for game days has been cleared ahead of all four contests. Friday's injury report likely will do the same, but if it doesn't Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson could be poised for larger workloads behind starting tight end Greg Olsen on Sunday against the Vikings.

Hudson (reserve/COVID-19 list) has received a six-game suspension for violation of the NFL's Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy.

Currently a member of the Titans' practice squad, Hudson is yet to make his NFL debut. The 23-year-old tight end from Arizona State registered 10 catches and 112 receiving yards during his final collegiate season, but it will be at least a month and a half until he makes his first regular-season appearance.

Fant (ankle) did not practice Thursday but did get in some work on the side, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Fant isn't expected to face the Patriots in Week 5, but it looks like he's recovering at a good pace after having been force out of last Thursday's win over the Jets due to an ankle sprain. If the second-year tight end indeed sits out versus New England, his next chance to take the field will come Oct. 18 against the Dolphins.

Waller (knee) remained limited at practice Thursday, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

We haven't heard anything to suggest that the Raiders' pass-catching leader is in any danger of missing Sunday's game against the Chiefs, with Friday's final injury report destined to reveal if Waller heads into the weekend listed as questionable, or minus a Week 5 injury designation.