NFL Player News

Otton (knee) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Commanders.

Otton is on track to return from a three-game absence following full practice participation Thursday and Friday, although coach Todd Bowles stopped short of promising the tight end will play. Bowles did confirm that Otton is trending in the right direction, per Brianna Dix of the Buccaneers' official site, which means Payne Durham and Devin Culp likely will fall back to minimal roles after making significant contributions to Tampa Bay's passing game over the final few weeks of the regular season.

Long (knee) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Long injured his knee during the Rams' Week 18 loss to the Seahawks. He didn't return to that game, but his full practice Thursday indicates that his knee injury is not a serious matter. Unless he suffers a setback, Long should be good to go against the Vikings in Monday's NFC wild-card game.

Quitoriano (calf) is listed as questionable for Saturday's AFC wild-card game against the Chargers, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Quitoriano missed the Texans' last five games of the regular season due to a calf injury he suffered against the Titans in Week 12. He was designated to return from injured reserve Tuesday and could be activated off IR ahead of Saturday's game after logging a week of full practices.

Bates (shoulder) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Bates' limited participation in pracitce could be out of precaution after he logged a full practice Wednesday. Friday's practice report and subsequent injury designation will provide more clarity on Bates' status heading into Sunday's NFC wild-card round game against the Buccaneers. Bates has primarily been used as an extra blocker for the Commanders but managed to log eight catches (on 13 targets) for 84 yards across 17 regular-season games while operating as Zach Ertz's backup.

Pruitt (knee) practiced in full Thursday and does not carry an injury designation for Saturday's wild-card round game against the Ravens, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Pruitt was limited Tuesday then missed practice Wednesday, but his knee injury ultimately won't impact his availability for Saturday's road wild-card round matchup. Expect Pruitt to handle his usual depth role at tight end behind Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington.

Otton (knee) practiced fully Thursday.

This marks the first time Otton has been listed as anything other than a DNP or limited on Buccaneers practice reports since showing up with a left knee injury during Week 16 prep. He's missed the last three games as a result, but following up Wednesday's capped walkthrough with a full session one day later puts him on a path to return to action for Sunday night's wild-card game against the Commanders. There's a chance he may share TE reps with Payne Durham and even Devin Culp if the Buccaneers opt to ease Otton back into action.

Yeboah caught five of nine targets for 47 yards and a touchdown in the 2024 season.

Yeboah appeared in nine games while filling a depth role. He scored his first NFL touchdown in Week 11 against the Colts. After appearing in 33 games for the Jets over the past four seasons, Yeboah will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Ruckert caught 18 of 28 targets for 105 yards in the 2024 season.

Ruckert worked as the No. 2 tight end behind Tyler Conklin, who is set to be an unrestricted free agent. If the Jets don't re-sign Conklin, they will almost certainly look to bring in another starter rather than promote Ruckert, who has yet to score a touchdown in 41 NFL games since being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

McLachlan, the Bengals' sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft, was elevated from the practice squad in only two games, netting just five offensive snaps and 17 special-teams snaps. He was not targeted on any passes.

McLachlan was considered to have a decent receiving upside potential from the tight-end spot, but he couldn't crack the Bengals' rotation despite the team employing tight ends in the passing game more frequently in 2024.

Grandy caught one pass for nine yards in the season finale against the Steelers, giving him five catches on the season.

The former practice-squad player was elevated first in Week 10 against the Ravens and essentially served as a fourth tight end for a Bengals team that used their tight ends a lot more than they had in previous seasons.