NFL Player News

Kmet (knee) was a non-participant at Thursday's practice.

Kmet departed in the middle of this past Sunday's win against the Cardinals due to a knee injury that so far has kept him off the practice field during Week 17 prep. He'll thus have just one more opportunity this week to mix into drills before the Bears potentially make a call on his availability ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Falcons. An absence from Kmet would result in more snaps for fellow tight ends Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis.

Fant (knee) was a non-participant at Wednesday's walkthrough, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Since going without a target back in Week 1, Fant's number of looks ranged from between one and five in the Seahawks' next 13 games before again getting blanked this past Sunday's win over Tennessee. Overall, he's produced a modest 27-355-0 receiving line on 37 targets through 15 contests, but his lack of activity to kick off Week 17 prep now places a cloud over his upcoming availability. Still, Fant has two more chances this week to put himself in a position to play Sunday against the Steelers.

The Raiders placed Horsted (hamstring) on injured reserve Wednesday.

Horsted won't be eligible to return until deep in the playoffs should the Raiders make it to the postseason. He played just eight offensive snaps across 13 appearances this season, mainly working on special teams for Las Vegas.

Henry (knee) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Henry closed out Week 16 prep with a limited practice, but after initially being listed as questionable, the tight end was subsequently downgraded to out Saturday, one day before the Patriots' 26-23 win over the Broncos. With another limited session in the books, Henry has a chance to suit up this Sunday against the Bills, but unless he practices fully by the end of the week, he'll presumably carry an injury designation into gameday.

The Jets signed Kuntz to the 53-man roster Wednesday.

He takes the roster spot of offensive tackle Duane Brown )back), who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday. The 24-year-old Kuntz has never appeared in a regular-season game, but with Jeremy Ruckert (concussion) out for Thursday's game against the Browns and C.J. Uzomah (knee) on injured reserve, the tight end could make his NFL debut this week as a depth piece behind Tyler Conklin and Kenny Yeboah.

Kieft didn't practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury.

Kieft played more snaps (17) during Sunday's 30-12 win versus the Jaguars than he had in any game this season since Week 2, but he apparently hurt his shoulder at some point along the way. He'll probably need to practice Thursday or Friday to have a chance to suit up Week 17 versus the Saints.

Musgrave (kidney) was listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's practice estimate.

The Packers merely held a walkthrough, but Musgrave's listed activity level was reflected in his ability to take part in individual drills Wednesday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Musgrave thus logged his first on-field work since lacerating his kidney Week 11 against the Chargers. Whether or not he's able to play during the final two weeks of the regular season has yet to be determined.

The Raiders listed Mayer (toe) as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report.

The team merely held a walkthrough Wednesday after upsetting the Chiefs two days earlier. Austin Hooper took on a three-down role in the contest as Las Vegas' top tight end with both Mayer and Jesper Horsted (hamstring) inactive, catching two of three targets for 13 yards while playing 89 percent of snaps. That's not unlike the stat lines Mayer has posted of late, with large snap shares rarely leading to considerable receiving production. The rookie is in danger of missing a second straight game when the Raiders play in Indianapolis this Sunday.

The Vikings placed Hockenson (knee) on injured reserve Wednesday.

This transaction was expected after head coach Kevin O'Connell revealed Tuesday that Hockenson suffered ACL and MCL injuries in his right knee during this past Sunday's loss to the Lions, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. Hockenson is slated for surgery at some point, and considering such severe injuries befell the tight end so late in the current campaign, he may be in danger of missing Week 1 of the 2024 season. The Vikings will hand over the position to Josh Oliver and Johnny Mundt for the last two contests of the regular season and any potential playoff games that follow.

Cager (groin) did not participate at the Giants' walkthrough practice Wednesday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Cager missed Monday's loss at Philadelphia due to a groin injury, and his availability for Week 17 now seems to be in jeopardy too. If he can't get back to practice Thursday or Friday, he'll likely be sidelined Sunday.