NFL Player News

Kroft is slated for more snaps Sunday at Green Bay with Tyler Eifert (knee/back) out of the lineup, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Eifert's health concerns appear to stem from side effects of last December's back surgery and knee tendinitis from the preseason, signaling a multi-game absence is possible. After handling 84 and then 78 percent of the offensive snaps in the first two weeks of the season, Eifert leaves a large void to be filled by Kroft and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Hewitt. Whether the workload results in marks in the box score remains to be seen, but Kroft has hauled in 22 of 28 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown in 32 career contests.

After practicing fully Friday, James (ankle) no longer appears on the Steelers' Week 3 injury report.

Through two games, James has logged 10 catches (on 13 targets) for 68 yards, to go along with two Week 1 touchdowns. It remains to be seen if James starts losing looks to fellow TE Vance McDonald, but in Week 2, James was on the field for 96 percent of the Steelers' snaps on offense.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Graham (ankle) didn't have any limitations at Friday's practice and should be ready to play in Sunday's game against Tennessee, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Given the Seahawks' history when it comes to injury information, this is still a situation that bears close watching in the lead up to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. Graham was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after managing just one catch for one yard on two targets in Sunday's 12-9 win over the 49ers. Given how poorly he was playing prior to the injury, it's fair to question whether Graham will be at all effective if he ends up facing the Titans. Luke Willson and Nick Vannett will both take on extra snaps if Graham doesn't play.

Graham (ankle) is expected to return to practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tennessee, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Held out of practice the previous two days, Graham is apparently primed to return in some capacity. Another update will be available when the Seahawks reveal the extent of his participation, though he's seemingly headed for a game-time decision either way. Luke Willson and Nick Vannett will fill in at tight end if Graham is absent, with the Seattle wide receivers and running backs potentially taking on larger burdens as well. Graham looked totally out of sync even before he hurt his ankle in Week 2 against the 49ers.

Engram cleared the concussion protocol and is no longer listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Engram was placed in the concussion protocol Wednesday, two days after after catching four of seven targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 24-10 loss to the Lions. His quick progression suggests he didn't necessarily suffer a concussion, as players almost always require more than two days to clear the league's protocol. Engram has been surprisingly busy for a rookie tight end, drawing 12 targets while logging 81 percent of the offensive snaps through two games. The Eagles shut down opposing tight ends last season, but their current injury woes at safety leave Engram with a decent matchup. Travis Kelce took advantage last week with an 8-103-1 receiving line on 10 targets.

Tomlinson (ankle) is out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Meanwhile, Jordan Leggett is doubtful and Will Tye is questionable, but the Jets' tight end corps will at least be bolstered in Week 3 by the return to the mix of Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Engram (concussion) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Eagles, Art Stapleton of The Record reports.

It's not clear how much work Engram got in at Friday's practice, but he was able to work out on a limited basis the previous two days, and it's likely he was able to at least take part in some drills Friday. One way or another, Engram remains in the concussion protocol, and his status for Week 3 will ultimately depend on whether he passes all the hurdles to be cleared prior to game time. As such, his availability is not likely to be determined until Sunday morning.

Higbee played 61 of 67 offensive snaps and caught one of his three targets for four yards during Thursday's 41-39 win over San Francisco.

With Gerald Everett missing the majority of this week's practices because of a thigh contusion, Higbee received more playing time Thursday. The sophomore tight end has played 99 more offensive snaps than the rookie Everett, but Higbee has only three receptions for 21 yards through three games. Additionally, Higbee bobbled a would-be catch on a strong deep ball from quarterback Jared Goff. While it was just a single dropped pass, it could have gone a long way toward Higbee earning more looks from his quarterback and play-calling head coach Sean McVay.

Everett played just 11 of 67 offensive snaps and didn't receive a target in Thursday's 41-39 win over San Francisco.

After catching three passes for 95 yards in Week 2, Everett was hindered by a thigh contusion throughout this week's practices. The injury was likely the cause of his lack of playing time Thursday against the 49ers. However, he also committed an illegal-shift penalty late in the second quarter, so perhaps there was more involved in his limited field time than just the thigh injury. Extra rest should enable Everett to be ready for Week 4's matchup against the Cowboys.

Kittle (hip) caught one pass for eight yards in a 41-39 loss to the Rams on Thursday.

Kittle was able to suit up despite being limited in practice for the third consecutive week. The rookie led all San Francisco tight ends with three targets, but it was Garret Celek who cashed in on one of Brian Hoyer's two passing touchdowns. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is proving yet again that he prefers to use his wideouts (23 targets) and running backs (nine targets) to attack defenses through the air, which limits Kittle's fantasy value even though he is technically starting.