NFL Player News

Head coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday that Graham has a good chance to play in Sunday's game against Miami, Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

Carroll's recent quotes regarding Graham have been all over the place, which probably isn't an accident. Given that no team is more misleading about injuries, it's probably best to ignore Carroll's quotes in the future, and instead just focus on the injury reports. Graham's level of practice participation may be the only valid clue regarding his Week 1 availability.

Kroft (knee) participated in a second straight practice Wednesday, the Bengals' official site reports.

Kroft participated in team drills Monday for the first time since Aug. 2, and after the Bengals had Tuesday off, he again took the field for Wednesday's session. The extent of Kroft's participation won't be known until the injury report is released on Wednesday afternoon, but his ability to take part in any fashion is a good sign for his Week 1 availability. With Tyler Eifert (ankle) all but ruled out, Kroft will probably get the start if he plays. Should both tight ends miss the opener, C.J. Uzomah or Ryan Hewitt will likely get the nod.

Escobar is listed behind Jason Witten and Geoff Swaim on the Cowboys' initial regular-season depth chart, Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram reports.

Escobar's listing behind Swaim is likely due in part to the torn Achilles Escobar suffered last season, as his recovery process lasted into training camp. However, Escobar avoided the PUP list, meaning he will be eligible to play Week 1. Even if he is a full go against the Giants on Sunday, Escobar's placement behind Swaim on the depth chart could mean a loss of playing time, and his fantasy production will always be hit-or-miss with the remarkably consistent Witten taking most of the snaps at tight end.

Swaim is listed as the second tight end on the Cowboys' depth chart, Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram reports.

Swaim is listed in front of Gavin Escobar but behind Jason Witten, who hasn't missed an NFL game since 2003. Witten's incredible consistency vastly reduces Swaim's potential as a receiving tight end, and unless Witten's consecutive-game streak ends in 2016, Swaim won't be a viable fantasy producer this season.

Hooper is currently listed as No. 2 tight end on the Falcons' official team depth chart.

Hooper finished his first preseason on a strong note and appears to be ready to carve out a role as a pass catcher in 2016. Although Jacob Tamme is currently slotted ahead of him, there is a chance that Hooper can overtake the starting spot at some point this season. Given Tamme's ceiling and Hooper's floor, Atlanta may want to see what their rookie has in store as the year progresses.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Graham (knee) will be pushed in practice as if he's preparing to play in Sunday's game against the Dolphins, even though the team has no expectation the tight end will actually be available, the Seattle Times reports.

The Seahawks aren't counting on Graham's availability, but they also aren't quite ready to rule him out. Even if he does ultimately suit up, Graham wouldn't necessarily start and would presumably just have a part-time role. With Nick Vannett (ankle) already ruled out, Luke Willson may need to play the vast majority of Week 1 snaps.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday that Vannett (ankle) will not play in Sunday's game against Miami, Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

With Jimmy Graham (knee) potentially unavailable, Vannett had a shot to start his career as Seattle's No. 2 tight end. It now seems Graham will likely be back before Vannett, though the former Saint is also looking awfully shaky for Week 1. Luke Willson is the probable Week 1 starter.

Head coach Pete Carroll said Monday he has no expectation Graham (knee) will play in Sunday's game against Miami, Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle reports.

That being said, Carroll and the Seahawks have yet to rule Graham out, and few teams (if any) are more misleading when it comes to injury information. Though it's probably still best to consider him questionable, Graham may need some time to re-establish himself as a useful asset, given the likelihood he starts his season in a part-time role. It remains to be seen if that will happen in Week 1, Week 2 or later on. Even if Graham is available, Luke Willson will probably get the Week 1 start.

Allen (hip) returned to practice Monday, ESPN's Mike Wells reports.

Held out of practice the past week, Allen never seemed to be in much danger of missing Week 1 against Detroit, as his injury isn't believed to be anything more than soreness. So long as he stays healthy, Allen should play the vast majority of offensive snaps, getting ample work on both early downs and obvious passing downs. Allen could emerge as Andrew Luck's favorite target on short routes, complementing the speedy wideout trio of T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett.

Kroft (knee) participated in team drills at the open portion of Monday's practice, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Kroft previously hadn't taken part in team drills since Aug. 2, when he suffered a knee sprain that was expected to keep him out for 4-to-6 weeks. Given that he missed all of the preseason and most of training camp, Kroft should still be considered questionable for Week 1 against the Jets. Kroft will likely have a key role if he's able to play, as Tyler Eifert (ankle) still figures to miss at least the first week or two of the regular season. If neither Kroft nor Eifert is available Sunday, the Bengals will likely start C.J. Uzomah, with Jake Fisher (ankle) and H-back Ryan Hewitt potentially also stepping into significant roles. Above all else, Cincinnati will likely rely on its running game and wide receivers until Eifert returns, with A.J. Green (knee) in prime position to gobble up red-zone targets.