NFL Player News

Thomas (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.

Thomas exited Sunday's game against the Saints with the injury and appears to still need more time to recover. The sixth-year tight end will likely need to ramp up his activity level over the next two days to play Week 15 against the Falcons.

Tremble (hip) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

The Panthers' tight end group remains banged up, as Hayden Hurst (concussion) and Ian Thomas (ankle) didn't practice at all to kick off Week 15 prep. Tremble at least managed some on-field work Wednesday, so he seems to be in the best spot on the health front among the trio, while Stephen Sullivan isn't dealing with an injury at the moment. Tremble's activity level in practices Thursday and Friday should provide a sense of his potential to continue playing through his hip concern, as he did this past Sunday at New Orleans.

Hurst (concussion) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Neither Hurst nor Ian Thomas (ankle) mixed into drills to begin Week 15 prep, while Tommy Tremble (hip) was a limited participant. Stephen Sullivan is the only healthy Panthers tight end on the active roster, but the aforementioned trio has two more chances this week to practice and put themselves in position to be available Sunday against the Falcons. Hurst himself has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia following the concussion that he sustained Nov. 9 in Chicago, so he may be on the outside looking in to returning to action anytime soon.

Waller (hamstring) said Wednesday that he hopes to return to practice this week, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Waller resumed running routes last Tuesday and appears to have avoided any setbacks. Even if Waller practices this week, it isn't clear if the Giants are seriously considering activating him from injured reserve ahead of this Sunday's game against New Orleans. The tight end does at least seem as though he'll play again this season, something that wasn't considered a given when the Giants placed him on IR in early November. A three-game winning streak has the Giants sitting just one game out of a wild-card spot at 5-8, albeit with five teams holding 6-7 records and sitting ahead of them in a tie for the NFC's seventh seed.

Schultz (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Schultz has missed two straight games, but his presence on the field Wednesday offers hope that the tight end could return to return to action Sunday against the Titans. The Texans will release their first Week 15 injury report later Wednesday, when the extent of Schultz's activity in practice will be known.

Kincaid was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through session due to shoulder and thumb injuries.

Bills head coach Sean McDermott said after Sunday's win over the Chiefs that Kincaid was day-to-day after requiring X-rays on his shoulder during the contest, but the rookie tight end is also apparently carrying a thumb injury into Week 15. Kincaid will have two more opportunities to increase his activity in practice and potentially clear up any concern about his availability for Sunday's game versus Dallas.

Pruitt played 21 of 72 snaps on offense and finished with two catches for 15 yards on two targets in Sunday's 29-25 loss to the Buccaneers.

Pruitt fumbled after reeling in a six-yard reception in the second quarter, but fortunately for the Falcons, the football bounced out of bounds to allow Atlanta to maintain possession. The coaching staff didn't penalize Pruitt for the mistake, as he went on to haul in another target in the fourth quarter to extend a drive that culminated in a Bijan Robinson touchdown run. Even while Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith have been available for every game this season, Pruitt has managed to maintain a steady role on offense as the team's No. 3 tight end. Pruitt has played no fewer than 16 snaps on offense in any of his 13 appearances and has produced a 7-79-1 receiving line on 10 targets.

Wright played 24 of 65 snaps on offense and recorded two catches for six yards on two targets in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Bears.

Though rookie Sam LaPorta has established himself as the Lions' clear top tight end this season while playing in all 13 games, Wright has been able to carve out a decent-sized role as the No. 2 option at the position. He's played no fewer than 30 percent of the snaps on offense in any of his 13 appearances and has drawn at least one target in seven of his last nine outings.

Tonyan played 17 of 71 snaps on offense and went without a target in Sunday's 28-13 win over the Lions.

The Bears brought in a pair of ex-Packers tight ends in Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis this offseason, but both players have seen their opportunities in the passing game take a hit with the move from Green Bay to Chicago. With Cole Kmet having stayed healthy so far this season, he's dominated the snaps at tight end every week while leaving scraps available for Tonyan and Lewis. Sunday's contest marked the third time in four games that Tonyan failed to draw a target.

Oliver played 28 of 72 snaps on offense in Sunday's 3-0 win over the Raiders and failed to corral his lone target.

Since producing a season-best 4-47-1 receiving line on four targets in a Week 11 loss to Denver, Oliver has been blanked on two targets in the Vikings' last two contests. The 26-year-old is a valued blocker and should continue to see plenty of playing time on offense alongside T.J. Hockenson, but Oliver is unlikely to be a major factor in the passing attack in a given game so long as Hockenson is available.