NFL Player News

Jordan (illness) was a limited practice participant Thursday.

Jordan increased his practice activity Thursday, after he sat out Wednesday's session entirely while recovering from the illness. If Jordan is able to participate fully in Friday's session, he should be in the clear to serve as the No. 2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz in Sunday's game against the Browns.

Henry (knee) remained listed as a non-participant in practice Thursday, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Per Cox, Henry -- who didn't practice Wednesday -- was present for Thursday's session, but the tight end didn't end up taking a tangible step forward in terms of activity. Henry now has one more chance to get in some practice work before Sunday's game against the Broncos. If Henry is sidelined Week 16, Mike Gesicki and Pharaoh Brown would be in line for added snaps at tight end.

Mayer didn't practice Thursday due to a toe injury.

In the Raiders' 63-21 win over the Chargers last Thursday, Mayer caught four of his five targets for 39 yards and a touchdown. He may have sustained a toe injury at some point along the way, and his absence from practice to begin Week 16 prep now makes his status worth monitoring ahead of Monday's game against the Chiefs. If Mayer ends up sitting out versus Kansas City, Austin Hooper would be the next man up for reps at tight end.

Cager (groin) did not practice Thursday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Cager likely picked up the injury in the team's Week 15 loss to the Saints, although that hasn't been confirmed. The 26-year-old will still have Friday and Saturday to get back on the practice field with the Giants not playing until Monday against the Eagles.

Kincaid (shoulder) doesn't have an injury designation for Saturday's game against the Chargers.

Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com previously noted that Kincaid sported a non-contact jersey during Thursday's practice, but the tight end will nonetheless be available to face Los Angeles. He was listed as a limited participant in all three of the Bills' practices this week, but Kincaid isn't expected to face any restrictions with his workload against the Chargers. In this past Sunday's 31-10 win over the Cowboys, Kincaid played 33 of the Bills' 68 snaps on offense and didn't catch either of his two targets, while fellow tight end Dawson Knox was on the field for 42 snaps. The Bills may have preferred to lean more heavily on the superior blocking tight end in Knox in Week 15 due to the effectiveness of the team's rushing attack, as Buffalo finished the day with 49 carries for 266 yards and three scores while quarterback Josh Allen attempted just 15 passes. The Buffalo offense has traditionally skewed more pass-heavy under Allen's watch, so Kincaid could be in store for a bounce-back performance in Week 16 after producing an excellent 61-495-2 receiving line on 72 targets through his first 12 NFL games.

Vannett (back) is listed as questionable ahead of Saturday's game against the Bills.

Vannett now seems to be dealing with a back issue that's put him in jeopardy of missing Los Angeles' Week 16 contest, per Daniel Popper of The Athletic. The 30-year-old has not been targeted despite playing 72 offensive snaps this season, and if he were to miss Saturday's affair, Stone Smartt would likely see increased work as a reserve option.

Kmet was a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to a quadricep injury.

Kmet wasn't listed Wednesday on the Bears' initial Week 16 injury report, so his limited participation Thursday could be indicative of a setback that occurred during practice. If Kmet is able to get back on the field in some capacity Friday, it would alleviate some of the concern about his status heading into Sunday's game against Arizona.

Thomas (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Thomas has now practiced for the second consecutive day after missing Carolina's Week 15 win over the Falcons with an ankle issue. The veteran tight end will almost certainly carry an injury designation into the weekend unless he's able to record a full practice session Friday. Thomas' availability will be something to look out for as the week progresses, as Carolina could be without both Tommy Tremble (illness) and Hayden Hurst (concussion) in Week 16.

Tremble (illness) practiced in a limited fashion Thursday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Tremble sat out Week 13 due to a hip injury, and while the issue followed him into Weeks 14 and 15, he was able to play through it in those contests. This week, his practice reps are being impacted by an illness, so his status will continue to be monitored ahead of Sunday's game against the Packers. As for the Panthers' other tight ends on the active roster, Ian Thomas (ankle) again was limited Thursday, while Stephen Sullivan (shoulder) was a full participant.

Henry (knee) was present for practice Thursday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Per Lazar, Henry -- who didn't practice Wednesday -- didn't appear to be doing much during the portion of the session that was open to the media. The Patriots will release their second Week 16 injury report later Thursday, when the extent of the tight end's participation will be known.