NFL Player News

Vannett didn't participate in practice Wednesday due to a back injury, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Vannett has a history of back problems, so the issue could be an ongoing concern for him and the Seahawks. The team added Tyrone Swoopes to the practice squad as potential insurance at tight end, though Vannett hasn't been ruled out for the Week 6 matchup with the Raiders at this point. After Will Dissly (kneecap) went down with a season-ending injury in Week 4, Vannett stepped in as the Seahawks' clear No. 1 tight end in the Week 5 loss to the Rams, logging 50 of 60 offensive snaps and finishing with three receptions for 43 yards on four targets.

Derby (foot) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

Derby's return Wednesday marks his first practice session since he sustained the foot injury against the Raiders in Week 3. The 27-year-old's level of participation at practices Thursday and Friday should provide a better idea of his potential availability for Sunday's game against the Bears. Mike Gesicki would continue to fill in as the Dolphins' primary tight end if Derby is ultimately ruled out for another contest.

Kroft (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

The news comes as no surprise after previous reports noted that Kroft was sporting a walking boot Wednesday and getting around the Bengals' locker room on a scooter. If Kroft is unable to play Sunday against the Steelers, C.J. Uzomah would have a clear path to an overwhelming share of snaps at tight end.

Engram (knee) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Eagles, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Engram tested out his right knee during practice Tuesday, which apparently didn't go as planned. As evidence, he was a limited participant in that session -- which came after coach Pat Shurmur said the tight end would work at "full speed" -- and didn't practice at all Wednesday. Beyond Thursday, the Giants don't play again until Oct. 22 in Atlanta, so Engram will be afforded plenty of time to recover from an MCL sprain. In the meantime, fellow tight end Rhett Ellison (foot) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game. If Ellison is hindered or ruled out as well, it would set the stage for Scott Simonson and potentially Garrett Dickerson to see the field.

Kroft, who exited Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Dolphins with a right foot injury, was sporting a walking boot Wednesday and navigating around the Bengals' locker room on a scooter, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

It looks as though the injury will prevent Kroft from taking the practice field Wednesday, making him questionable at best for the Week 6 matchup with the Steelers. With Tyler Eifert (ankle) shifting to injured reserve last week, the Bengals bolstered their tight-end depth by signing Matt Lengel. C.J. Uzomah is the team's top healthy option at the position, but he'll need to see more volume in order to merit fantasy consideration. In Week 5, Uzomah turned his two targets into 43 yards, while Kroft failed to haul in the lone target he saw prior to departing.

Derby (foot) is present for Wednesday's practice, Chris Perkins of The Athletic reports.

Derby has sat out of the Dolphins' past two games without practicing in any capacity beforehand, so the fact that he's out there at all Wednesday suggests he's taken a step forward in his recovery. It's unclear how much on-field work he'll be able to put in during the Dolphins' first session of the week, but it at least tentatively appears that Derby has a shot at playing Sunday against the Bears. Mike Gesicki has acted as the Dolphins' primary tight end while Derby has been sidelined the past two weeks, hauling in four of seven targets for 35 yards.

Swaim caught all three of his targets for 55 yards during Sunday's 19-16 loss to Houston.

The bulk of Swaim's production came in the opening minutes of Sunday's game when the fourth-year tight end took a dump pass 43 yards to set up the Cowboys' opening field goal. Swaim ranks second on the team with 11 catches over the past three games, but that doesn't carry a ton of weight in an offense that ranks 29th in the league in passing yards. Don't expect things to get better Sunday against the Jaguars' top-five pass defense.

Seals-Jones was targeted six times during Sunday's 28-18 win over the 49ers but failed to record a catch.

Seals-Jones is tied with Larry Fitzgerald in targets (10) through Josh Rosen's two starts. He's managed to convert just two of them into catches, however, as his chemistry with Rosen appears to need work. Both of those catches went for more than 20 yards, so there is hope that even with a limited connect rate, the two can do some damage. They'll have a solid opportunity Sunday against a Minnesota pass defense that gives up the second-most yards per opponent pass attempt in the league.

Lucas was cut from the Seahawks' practice squad Tuesday, Curtis Crabtree of Sports Radio 950 KJR Seattle reports.

Lucas spent the first month of the season with Seattle, but he was let go in favor of Tyrone Swoopes, who has history with the organization.

Engram (knee) was listed as a limited participant at Tuesday's practice.

Though coach Pat Shumur suggested Engram would take part in practice at "full speed," the tight end was instead relegated to individual drills during the portion of Tuesday's session that was available to the media, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports. Given his limited listing, Engram apparently didn't increase his workload much behind closed doors. Despite performing below full participation, the Giants seem optimistic that Engram will be ready to play Thursday against the Eagles, though he could still carry a questionable tag into that contest.