NFL Player News

Smythe (ankle) returned to a limited practice Thursday, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Smythe missed Wednesday's practice, but the tight end's return to the field a day later has him moving in the right direction in advance of Sunday's against the Chiefs. Through eight games, Smythe has logged a 14-151-0 line on 19 targets, a rate of production that limits his fantasy utility to deeper formats.

Brown (back) returned to practice Thursday, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

Brown was absent for Wednesday's session, but his return to he field a day later bodes well for his Week 9 status, though the tight end may need to practice fully by Friday to avoid heading into Sunday's game against the Commanders minus an injury designation. The 29-year-old played ahead of Mike Gesicki last week against the Dolphins and caught both of his targets for 33 scoreless yards. On the year, Brown has been a big-play machine with seven grabs for 170 yards (24.3 yards per catch) and one touchdown on seven targets.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Thursday that Waller (hamstring) will sit out Sunday's game against the Raiders, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com previously reported Wednesday that Waller could be facing a multi-week absence, and the fact that the tight end has already been deemed out for Sunday's game confirms that his status beyond Week 9 is cloudy. As long as Waller is sidelined, Daniel Bellinger is in line to see an uptick in snaps as the Giants' top option at tight end.

Smythe (ankle) returned to practice Thursday, Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com reports.

Smythe was in a walking boot following last Sunday's Week 8 win over the Patriots and missed Wednesday's opening practice in Germany. He's since shed the boot and appears to have a decent shot of suiting up this Sunday against the Chiefs. Despite playing 76 percent of the Dolphins' offensive snaps through eight weeks, Smythe has just 14 catches for 151 scoreless yards on 19 targets.

The Chargers signed Vannett to their active roster Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Vannett joined the Chargers' practice squad on Aug. 31 after being cut by the Texans ahead of the 53-man roster deadline. The Chargers are the sixth team Vannett has played for since he entered the league as a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He'll add depth at the tight end position behind Gerald Everett -- who missed Sunday's game against the Bears due to a hip injury -- Donald Parham and Stone Smartt.

Musgrave (ankle) practiced in a limited fashion Wednesday, Kassidy Hill of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Musgrave initially suffered a left ankle injury during the Packers' Week 7 loss at Denver, but he was able to play through the issue this past Sunday against the Vikings, earning a typical 74 percent snap share and gathering in two of three targets for nine yards. Dating back to last week, he's now logged two straight limited practice sessions, and if he gets back to full participation Thursday and/or Friday, he could factor more into the passing game Sunday versus the Rams.

Njoku was listed as a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury.

Though Njoku didn't mix into drills, the tight end was present for practice and was spotted working off to the side during the portion of the session that was open to the media, according to Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram. Njoku had been managing a knee injury leading into this past Sunday's game against the Seahawks, but he proceeded to take on a relatively normal snap share (77 percent) en route to finishing with four catches for 77 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. With a new injury in tow, however, Njoku's activity in practices Thursday and Friday will warrant monitoring heading into this weekend's game against Arizona.

Smythe didn't practice Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Travis Wingfield of the Dolphins' official site reports.

Per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, Smythe was sporting a walking boot following Sunday's win over the Patriots, so the tight end's absence from practice Wednesday isn't unexpected. Smythe now has two more chances to return to the field ahead of Sunday's game against the Chiefs in Frankfurt, Germany. If Smythe is out this weekend, Julian Hill would be the next man up for snaps at tight end.

Graham (rest) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Graham sat out of Sunday's win at Indianapolis with an illness, so it's a bit concerning to see him limited for any reason to start the new week of practice. He'll likely need to manage a full practice Thursday or Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend.

Brown didn't practice Wednesday due to a back injury.

Brown logged 21 of the Patriots' 53 snaps on offense in this past Sunday's loss to the Dolphins, catching both of his targets for 33 yards. Now that the tight end has missed Wednesday's practice, he'll have two more chances to return to the field ahead of Sunday's game against the Commanders. If Brown is able to suit up this weekend, he'll continue to work in a timeshare at tight end with Hunter Henry and Mike Gesicki.