NFL Player News

Pline (undisclosed) was placed on the 49ers' practice squad reserve/injured list Tuesday.

Pline has spent the entire 2024 campaign on the 49ers' practice squad and he'll now be forced to miss the remainder of the regular season with an undisclosed injury. The tight end signed with San Francisco in May as an undrafted free agent after ending his collegiate career with Furman and he'll now have to wait until at least 2025 to make his NFL debut.

Stover (appendix) did not participate in Tuesday's walkthrough.

Stover underwent an emergency appendectomy Saturday, which forced him to miss Sunday's win against the Dolphins, and the procedure may force the rookie tight end to be sidelined for multiple weeks. Irv Smith could be elevated from the Texans' practice squad to the active roster for Saturday's game against the Chiefs and serve as the No. 2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz if Stover is ruled out.

The Chargers designated Hurst (hip) for return from injured reserve Monday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Hurst has already missed the minimum four games after being placed on injured reserve Nov. 25, and he's made enough progress to resume on-field work. The Chargers aren't likely to hold a full slate of practices this week in advance of Thursday's game in Denver, so the veteran tight end may not be able to get in sufficient reps to prove he's ready to rejoin the lineup. When Hurst does get activated, his playing time is likely to hinge on the status of top tight end Will Dissly (shoulder), who sat out Sunday's loss to the Buccaneers and is trending toward missing a second straight game.

The Browns cut Latu from the practice squad Tuesday, Kelsey Russo of the team's official site reports.

The 2023 third-round pick joined the Browns' practice squad in late August after being waived by the 49ers at the conclusion of training camp. Latu was not elevated to Cleveland's active roster, and now that he's been let go, the 24-year-old will look to catch on with a team in need of tight end depth.

The Rams reinstated Higbee (knee) from the PUP list Tuesday.

The transaction clears the way for Higbee to make his 2024 debut Sunday against the Jets, after he had missed the Rams' first 14 games of the season while recovering from surgery to repair ACL and MCL tears in his right knee. Higbee has been a full practice participant for the past two weeks, but the Rams could still ease him back into the mix with a lighter workload. Despite the missed time, the 31-year-old still represents the Rams' top pass-catching option at tight end after Colby Parkinson, Davis Allen and Hunter Long combined for just 42 receptions over the first 15 weeks of the season.

Durham did not draw a target across 30 snaps in the Buccaneers' 40-17 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Durham's snap count was his second highest of the season, but he went without a single pass from Baker Mayfield for the third straight game. The second-year tight end, who has just two catches all season, remains a complete nonfactor on offense despite serving as Cade Otton's direct backup.

Indianapolis signed Okwuegbunam to its practice squad Tuesday.

Okwuegbunam worked out with the Colts shortly after being cut by Philadelphia back in November, and now he's officially working with a new organization. Indianapolis already has four healthy tight ends on its 53-man roster, though, so it will probably take at least one injury for him to get any action with the main unit.

Washington signed Jackson to its practice squad Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Jackson was cut by the Giants with an injury designation ahead of the start of the regular season, but he's now getting a chance with their division rival. With starter Zach Ertz dealing with a concussion after Sunday's game at New Orleans, it's easy to see why the Commanders would add a depth option at tight end.

Gray logged two receptions on five targets for 21 yards and one touchdown during Sunday's 21-7 win against Cleveland.

Gray didn't cross the 60-percent snap threshold in Week 15 like he did in the two previous contests, and he was unable to match the four grabs he totaled in each of the previous four games, but he made one of his two catches count by turning in his fifth touchdown of the 2024 campaign. Gray still amassed five targets in the contest -- his average over the last five games -- but Patrick Mahomes' ankle sprain could be worrisome for Kansas City's pass catchers. If Mahomes is unable to go against the Texans, Carson Wentz would get the start, presumably capping the upside of Gray and others. On a positive note, the tight end has clearly etched out a regular role and should continue to log 50-plus percent of the offensive snaps.

Adkins caught his lone target for 15 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 31-13 win over the Colts.

Adkins' trip to the end zone was his third score of the season, each coming on the tight end's only reception in a contest. Through 14 games, the 25-year-old has failed to record more than one catch in any of his appearances. With that said, Adkins played 29 of 63 offensive snaps against the Colts, ahead of both Adam Trautman (27) and Lucas Krull (24). Due to his inconsistent usage and minimal production, Adkins remains far off the fantasy radar heading into a Week 16 matchup against the Chargers.