Bates (wrist) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Bates was limited Wednesday, but his return to full work Thursday puts him on track to play Sunday against the 49ers. The 26-year-old tight end has logged 20 offensive snaps across three appearances this season, snagging two passes for 23 yards.

Dissly (coach's decision) is inactive for Thursday's game against the Vikings.

Dissly played just three offensive snaps during the Chargers' Week 7 loss to the Vikings. His role in the offense has waned with the emergence of rookie fifth-rounder Oronde Gadsden, and Dissly will observe Thursday's game in street clothes. With Dissly inactive, the Chargers will roll with three tight ends on the active roster in Gadsden, Tucker Fisk and Tyler Conklin for Week 8.

Schultz (back/shoulder) remained limited at practice Thursday.

Schultz was also limited at practice Wednesday, so he may need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the 49ers. With wideouts Nico Collins (concussion) and Christian Kirk (hamstring) having logged DNPs both Wednesday and Thursday, Schultz, assuming he's available, could be in store for a high-volume Week 8 if the Texans remain shorthanded at WR.

Goedert (calf) practiced fully Thursday.

One day removed from being limited due to a calf injury Wednesday, Goedert handled every practice rep, signaling that the tight end is good to go for Week 8 action. Meanwhile, WR A.J. Brown (hamstring) remained sidelined but was seen working on the side Thursday, per Bob Brookover of NJ.com. Even if Brown ends up being active Sunday versus the Giants, Goedert could be a bit more featured in the Eagles offense if the former is at less than 100 percent. Goedert has taken full advantage of his 36 targets across six appearances this season, tallying 27 catches for 261 yards and five touchdowns to date.

The Ravens waived Mitchell-Paden on Thursday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Mitchell-Paden's removal from the roster indicates that fullback Patrick Ricard (calf) is on track to play against the Bears on Sunday. Mitchell-Paden could opt to stay in Baltimore on the practice squad if he clears waivers or explore his options and join a team in need of depth at tight end.

Hudson (concussion) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Hudson opened the week as a limited practice participant Wednesday, so his full participation in Thursday's session seems to indicate he is progressing through the league's five-step concussion protocol. He will have to be cleared by an independent neurologist in order to play against the Jets on Sunday. Hudson's return would mean less snaps for Cam Grandy, though it wouldn't have a major impact on the playing time of Noah Fant and Drew Sample.

Whiteheart (shoulder) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Whiteheart's practice snaps weren't capped during Thursday's session, which puts him on track to play against the Patriots on Sunday. The third-year tight end played 35 snaps on offense in Week 7 against the Dolphins, and his snap count could remain elevated for Week 8 if David Njoku (knee) is not cleared to play.

Johnson (neck) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Though his limited listing represented no change from Wednesday, Johnson may have been cleared to take part in more drills Thursday than he had a day earlier. According to Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana, the tight end was sporting a standard practice jersey during Thursday's session, after he had donned a red non-contact jersey Wednesday. Johnson may need to participate fully in Friday's practice to avoid taking a designation into Sunday's game versus the Buccaneers, but he looks to be on a path to playing this weekend.

Njoku (knee) was limited in practice Thursday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Njoku has now logged back-to-back limited practices to open Week 8 preparation, with head coach Kevin Stefanski having called the veteran tight end both "day-to-day" and "hopeful" to suit up Sunday on the road against New England. Unless Njoku is able to upgrade full practice activity Friday it sounds as though he'll carry an injury designation into the weekend. He sat out Cleveland's win over the Dolphins in Week 7 due to a knee injury sustained during the team's loss to Pittsburgh in Week 6.

Taylor (quadriceps) didn't practice Thursday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Cimini speculates that Taylor was presumably injured in Wednesday's practice, as Taylor didn't appear on Wednesday's injury report. Taylor's injury adds further uncertainty to a Jets offense that could be without top wide receiver Garrett Wilson (knee) and hasn't declared a starting quarterback between Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor (knee) for Sunday's game against the Bengals. If the rookie tight end is unable to play Sunday, Jeremy Ruckert could see additional involvement against a Bengals defense that has allowed the most yards (536) and touchdowns (nine) in the league to tight ends.