NFL Player News

Waller (hamstring) expects to play in Sunday's game against the Saints but doesn't anticipate handling his normal workload, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported Friday that Waller was practicing as if he was preparing to play, and the tight end confirmed as much when he met with the media Friday afternoon. Having avoided any setbacks throughout the week, Waller likely will be activated from injured reserve prior to the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline Saturday. That being said, it won't come as any surprise if the Giants list him as questionable on their final injury report and put the tight end through a pregame workout before making a final decision on his active status ahead of the 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff Sunday.

The Panthers placed Hurst (concussion) on injured reserve Friday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

With the Panthers sitting at 1-12 and eliminated from playoff contention, Hurst's season is officially over. Signed to a three-year deal in the offseason, Hurst played in nine games this season before suffering a concussion Week 10. He's since been dealing with post-traumatic amnesia. Hurst finishes 2023 with 18 catches for 184 yards and one touchdown on 32 targets.

Tremble (hip) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Tremble missed Week 13 but then returned for Week 14 and took 65 percent of snaps on offense in a 28-6 loss to New Orleans. That was actually his smallest snap share since Hayden Hurst entered concussion protocol in early November, and with Hurst now expected to miss the rest of the season, Tremble is locked in as Carolina's top tight end. Ian Thomas (ankle) also will be out this week, but it's worth noting that Tremble has yet to see more than three targets in a game this season even though Carolina's tight end group often has been thinned out by injuries.

The Panthers are expected to place Hurst (concussion) on injured reserve, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Hurst continues to recover from a concussion sustained Nov. 9 versus the Bears that has held him out of the lineup for Carolina's last four games. A social media post by Hurst's father later revealed that the starting tight end has been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia. If Hurst does indeed land on IR, he will be forced to miss the remainder of the 2023 campaign, leaving Tommy Tremble (hip) and Ian Thomas (ankle) atop the depth chart.

Mayer brought in four of five targets for 39 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders' 63-21 win over the Chargers on Thursday night.

The rookie tight end finished second in receptions and targets on the night, although well behind Davante Adams in both categories. Mayer rounded out his night with the second touchdown catch of his career, an 11-yard grab in the second quarter. Mayer heads into a Week 16 road showdown against the Chiefs on Christmas Day with a pair of four-reception tallies in the last four games.

Everett brought in five of eight targets for 41 yards in the Chargers' 63-21 loss to the Raiders on Thursday night.

Everett finished with a team-high reception total for the Chargers in the lopsided loss, with his enhanced participation partly the byproduct of Keenan Allen's (heel) absence. The veteran tight end actually has back-to-back five-catch tallies, and he hasn't recorded less than four receptions since being blanked against the Lions in Week 10. Everett figures to continue enjoying a solid role in a Week 16 home battle against the Bills on Saturday, Dec. 23, particularly if Allen remains sidelined for that contest.

Whyle (knee) did not participate in practice Thursday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

The backup tight end suffered the knee injury during Tennessee's Week 13 loss to the Colts and then missed its Week 14 win over the Dolphins. Whyle has one more chance to practice Friday ahead of Sunday's matchup with the Texans. The rookie has nine catches for 94 yards and a touchdown in 2023.

Parham (shoulder) is inactive for Thursday night's game against the Raiders.

The backup tight end was a limited participant in practice Wednesday. Parham only played 15 snaps in Week 14 against the Broncos, his second-lowest total of the season. Nick Vannett should see more snaps in his absence.

The Chargers elevated Anderson from the practice squad for Thursday night's game against the Raiders.

The 30-year-old has appeared in the Chargers' last two games, playing four offensive snaps. With Donald Parham (shoulder) banged up, Anderson could be in line for a little extra work versus Las Vegas.

Higbee (neck) practiced in full Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Higbee sat out this past Sunday at Baltimore due to a neck stinger, which kept him out of drills during Week 14 prep. This time around, he logged a limited jog-through Wednesday before returning to an uncapped session one day later. With his status cleared up for Week 15 action, Higbee will seek his third touchdown of the season Sunday against a Commanders defense that has given up the ninth-most TDs (five) to opposing tight ends in 13 games this season.