NFL Player News

Johnson (quadricep) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.

Johnson matched his level of practice participation from Wednesday, so he may need to upgrade to full activity Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into Sunday's game versus the Panthers. If Johnson isn't able to play through the injury this weekend, the Saints would likely turn to a committee of Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau and Jimmy Graham to fill snaps at tight end.

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

The 27-year-old tight end was able to suit up for the Panthers' Week 13 loss to the Buccaneers, but he still seems to be dealing with a shoulder injury. Sullivan's Week 14 availability will be something to look out for as the week progresses, as Carolina could be without both Tommy Tremble (hip) and Hayden Hurst (concussion) in Sunday's affair.

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

The third-year tight end out of Notre Dame was unable to suit up for Carolina's Week 13 loss to the Buccaneers after not participating in two of the team's practices earlier that week. Tremble's injury designation will be something to look out for going forward, as the Panthers could very well be without both Hayden Hurst (concussion) and Stephen Sullivan (shoulder) in Week 14.

Hurst (concussion) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

In the wake of Hurst getting back on the practice field Wednesday, albeit with a cap on his reps and while donning a red non-contact jersey, Adam Schefter of ESPN highlighted a recent social-media post from the tight end's father, Jerry Hurst, who noted that his son was diagnosed with post traumatic amnesia by an independent neurologist due to the hit that he endured on Nov. 9 at Chicago. Hurst himself posted Thursday that he didn't "remember up to four hours after the game," but "the Panthers have been incredible walking me through this process." Considering he seems to have a few phases of the protocol for head injuries yet to clear, he may not be a great bet to play in Sunday's contest at New Orleans, which could be confirmed when Carolina posts its final Week 14 injury report Friday.

Schultz (hamstring) wasn't spotted during the initial portion of practice Thursday, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Schultz, who missed this past Sunday's game against the Broncos, was limited at practice Wednesday, so if the tight end is deemed a non-participant Thursday, what he's able to do Friday figures to be pivotal with regard to his chances of returning to action this weekend against the Jets. If Schultz ends up limited or out versus New York, fellow TE Brevin Jordan would be in line to see added snaps and targets Week 14.

Swaim reeled in his two targets for 10 yards while playing 34 of the Cardinals' 68 snaps on offense in Sunday's 24-10 win over the Steelers.

Swaim finished with exactly two receptions for the third time in four games, but he's unlikely to see his profile on offense expand in any dramatic way with second-year tight end Trey McBride having locked down the top spot on the depth chart after a string of impressive receiving performances. In fact, Swaim may be more likely to see a downturn in playing time coming out of Arizona's Week 14 bye, as rookie sixth-round pick Elijah Higgins has made a case for more reps at tight end after recording 20-yard-plus receptions in both of the past two contests. Given that Swaim is 30 years old and set to reach free agency this offseason, the 3-10 Cardinals may not be incentivized to hand him snaps at the expense of Higgins.

Turner played seven of the Commanders' 55 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for a two-yard reception in Sunday's 45-15 loss to the Dolphins.

While the second-year player profiles as a strong pass catcher and has run routes on 60.3 percent of his offensive snaps this season, he's not seeing enough playing time behind fellow tight ends Logan Thomas and John Bates to make much of a splash in the box score. Through his 11 appearances this season, Turner has yet to find the end zone and has recorded more than one reception on just two occasions.

Bates failed to corral his lone target while playing 25 of the Commanders' 55 snaps on offense in Sunday's 45-15 loss to the Dolphins.

Bates has now been held without a reception over Washington's past two contests, after having previously produced a 7-48-0 receiving line on nine targets over the preceding five games. The third-year player continues to see snap shares over 40 percent most weeks, but he looks as though he'll function mainly as a blocker on the field while Logan Thomas operates as Washington's top pass-catching tight end.

Akins played 12 of the Browns' 71 snaps on offense and recorded a six-yard reception on his lone target in Sunday's 36-19 loss to the Rams.

Akins technically drew a start Sunday after the Browns opened their first possession with a three-tight end set, but the 31-year-old still ranked comfortably behind David Njoku (59) and Harrison Bryant (31) in snaps on the day. While he spent the previous five seasons in Houston, Akins showed some occasional prowess as a pass catcher, but he's unlikely to produce splashy receiving lines in Cleveland so long as Njoku and Bryant are both available.

Wilcox hauled in his lone target for a 12-yard reception while playing 12 of the Bengals' 73 snaps on offense in Monday's 34-31 overtime win over the Jaguars.

The 12 receiving yards were a season-high total for Wilcox, which speaks to the muted role he typically holds in the Bengals' passing attack. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Wilcox is valued as a blocker and is a core contributor on special teams, so he should continue to remain active on game days even while he rarely contributes as a pass catcher.