NFL Player News

Tonyan (hip) was a full participant for Wednesday's practice.

Tonyan missed Week 7 after sitting out practice Thursday and Friday of last week, but as evidenced by this news, appears on track for a return. Even though he's healthy, Tonyan will likely serve as the Packers' No. 3 tight end for Sunday's game against Kansas City behind Jimmy Graham (ankle) and Marcedes Lewis.

Graham (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Graham has been a regular on Packers injury reports this season, and while he's managed just 30.6 receiving yards per game, he's taken advantage of his team-high nine red-zone targets, scoring three touchdowns through seven contests. He'll look to shed his injury before Sunday's visit to Kansas City, whose defense has given up 62.3 yards per game to tight ends in 2019.

Kittle (groin) will be limited in Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kittle entered Sunday's win over Washington nursing a groin injury, so it's likely that Wednesday's limited practice is simply a result of rep management. He managed to play through the issue during the 49ers' last two contests. The tight end's situation will be worth monitoring as Week 8's tilt against the Panthers draws closer.

The Patriots cut Tomlinson on Wednesday, Nora Princiotti of The Boston Globe reports.

The Patriots needed to free up roster spots after acquiring Mohamed Sanu via trade and Justin Bethel via free agency, so Tomlinson and safety Jordan Richards were the casualties. Tomlinson recorded a reception for one yard in his only game with the Patriots.

The Patriots released Tomlinson on Wednesday.

Tomlinson's release clears a spot for newly acquired wideout Mohamed Sanu and suggests that either Ryan Izzo (concussion) or Matt LaCosse (knee) is ready to return to action for the Patriots. In his only game with New England, Tomlinson caught one pass for one yard while working behind Ben Watson at tight end.

Engram has ditched the wrap around his left knee, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Engram missed just one game with an MCL sprain, but he didn't have a positive impact in his first contest back from injury, catching one of five targets for six yards in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Cardinals. He gets a decent spot to rebound Week 8, facing a slumping Lions defense that's allowed tight ends to produce 9.9 yards per target and 7.8 fantasy points per game (14th-most).

Dwelley caught one of this three targets for a two-yard gain during Sunday's 9-0 win over Washington.

Dwelley's three targets during Sunday's sloppy outing represented a season high, but the sophomore tight end still has a net loss of a yard for the season. It would have been foolish to look his way anyway with Carolina's seventh-ranked pass defense on deck Sunday, but what small role he had in the passing game will probably be further reduced with the addition of Emmanuel Sanders from Denver.

Uzomah was held without a target in the Bengals' Week 7 loss to the Jaguars.

The Bengals signed Uzomah to a three-year, $18 million contract extension in March, but after a four-catch, 66-yard game in Week 1, he's had seven targets in the ensuing six weeks. He's been asked to block more frequently, plus the Bengals frequently go with an 11 formation and have split the TE snaps between Uzomah, Eifert and even Drew Sample.

Paulsen was released by the Texans on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Paulsen has been buried on the depth chart all season, and has failed to see the field as a result. Thus, there is no surprise that the Texans have ultimately opted to part ways with the veteran tight end. He is now free to look for a new gig.

Akins caught both his targets for 17 yards in Sunday's loss to the Colts.

Akins and Darren Fells both started and played 42 offensive snaps, but neither was significantly involved in the passing game in Week 7. Akins has 15 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns in seven games.