NFL Player News

Jordan is in line for an elevated workload Sunday against the Broncos with Dalton Schultz (hamstring) ruled out for that contest, Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Schultz wasn't able to practice this week due to a hamstring injury, and with his status now confirmed for Week 13 action, Jordan and Eric Saubert figure to earn increased snap counts in the short term. Through eight appearances this season, Jordan has hauled in six of seven targets for 60 yards and one touchdown, so the bigger workload may not result in added attention from quarterback C.J. Stroud. Still, Saubert has no catches to his name in three games with the Texans in 2023, meaning Jordan likely is the better bet among the two to make a mark in the box score.

Calcaterra (ankle) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Calcaterra seems to be trending in the right direction to play Sunday, as he was able to log a limited practice session Friday after recording DNPs on Wednesday and Thursday. The second-year tight end could be in for a larger offensive role if he's able to suit up this weekend, with Dallas Goedert (forearm) likely missing Week 13.

Vannett (concussion) is listed as out for Sunday's game at New England.

Vannett will sit out a second consecutive game in Week 13 as he continues to recover from a concussion. His being sidelined means the Chargers will likely have to rely more heavily on Stone Smartt on Sunday.

Strange (foot) was a limited participant in Friday's practice.

The rookie tight end out of Penn State could be in jeopardy of missing Monday night's contest, as he seems to be nursing a foot issue. Strange has seen minimal work on Jacksonville's offense thus far, catching four of his seven targets for 34 yards and one touchdown. He'll likely carry an injury designation into Monday night's affair.

Dulcich (hamstring) is on pace to return before the end of the regular season if all goes well in his recovery, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Dulcich has begun working off to the side in practice, though he has yet to officially rejoin his teammates. In order to participate in team sessions, he'll first need to have his 21-day window to return from injured reserve opened. That window can be opened at any point moving forward, as Dulcich has been on injured reserve since Oct. 21.

Schultz (hamstring) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Schultz didn't practice all week due to a hamstring injury, and now that he's been deemed unavailable versus Denver, the tight end will target a potential return to action Sunday, Dec. 10 at the Jets. In his absence this weekend, Brevin Jordan and Eric Saubert will handle the Texans' Week 13 TE duties.

Deguara (hip) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday night's game against the Chiefs, Wes Hodklewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

The veteran tight end missed Green Bay's Week 12 win over the Lions, but after a week of limited practice sessions, he has a chance of returning Sunday. If Deguara were to miss his second consecutive game, Ben Sims would likely see an increased workload on the Packers' offense.

Goedert (forearm) is listed as doubtful for Sunday's contest versus the 49ers.

Goedert has made a strikingly fast recovery from a broken right forearm that he suffered Week 9 and required a subsequent surgery. After he was seen catching passes on the side Thursday, he proceeded to mix into drills Friday for the first time since sustaining the injury. Goedert was deemed a limited participant in his return to practice, but his designation of doubtful doesn't give him much of a chance to be available this weekend. Having said that, he told Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer earlier Friday that he'll meet with team doctors, coaches and trainers to see where the tight end stands, and ultimately a decision on his status will be made by the Eagles. If Goedert is inactive Sunday, Jack Stoll will continue to handle most of the TE reps for Philly.

Smythe (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game at Washington, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Smythe should be fine to handle his usual role, which typically entails a lot of playing time but not many targets. He's been targeted on just 25 of 234 routes this season, with 10.7 percent being the second-lowest figure among TEs with 200-plus routes and fifth lowest among those with 100-plus. Teammate Tyreek Hill, meanwhile, has drawn targets on a league-high 37.7 percent of routes -- 6.2 percentage points ahead of any other wide receiver (Keenan Allen - 31.5 percent).

McBride (groin) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

In the same week in which the Cardinals waived veteran tight end Zach Ertz (quadriceps), McBride himself managed just two limited practices (Thursday and Friday) and now has an injury designation ahead of Week 13 action. McBride's status will be clarified about 90 minutes before Sunday's 1.00 p.m. ET kickoff, and if he's deemed active, he'll look to continue his rapport with quarterback Kyler Murray, which has amounted to 20 catches (on 25 targets) for 234 yards and no touchdowns over the last three contests.