NFL Player News

Whyle (ankle) was a full participant at practice Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Whyle exited Sunday's win over the Bengals early, but he's since fully recovered and should be good to go for Week 5 against the Colts. Before the injury, the rookie tight end had seen 18 snaps on offense, a career-high at that point, and saw his first two targets of the season, catching both for 26 yards and a touchdown.

Smith (hamstring) returned to practice Wednesday as a limited participant, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Smith made his first practice appearance since suffering the injury Week 2 and appears to have a shot to return for Sunday's game in Arizona. The Bengals used Tanner Hudson as their passing-down tight end the past two weeks, with Mitchell Wilcox and Drew Sample also getting bumps in playing time.

Johnson (calf) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

The Saints announced that Johnson was questionable to return not long after this past Sunday's kickoff against the Buccaneers and later ruled him out entirely after halftime. In the end, he didn't log an offensive snap, and now the calf injury is keeping him out of drills to begin Week 5 prep. With Foster Moreau (ankle) logging a full session Wednesday, the team has two healthy options at tight end (with Jimmy Graham being the other) in the event Johnson has to miss some time.

Alie-Cox was listed as a non-participant Wednesday on the Colts' estimated injury report due to an ankle injury.

Alie-Cox secured his first touchdown of the season in Sunday's 29-23 overtime loss to the Rams, but he may have picked up the ankle injury along the way. He'll likely need to get back on the practice field in some capacity Thursday or Friday to have a shot at playing this weekend against the Titans. Alie-Cox is part of a three-man committee at tight end with Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree, an arrangement that limits the fantasy ceilings of all three players.

Knox was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to a quadricep injury.

In the Bills' 48-20 win over the Dolphins this past Sunday, Knox caught his lone target for a 12-yard gain while playing 29 of the team's 58 offensive snaps. The tight end may have sustained the quad injury at some point along the way, making his activity in practice worth monitoring the next two days before the Bills potentially hand him a designation for this Sunday's game against the Jaguars. The addition of rookie first-round pick Dalton Kincaid to the Bills' tight-end room has unsurprisingly been a negative development for Knox, who has seen his snap share drop in each successive game this season.

Rader signed with the Titans' active roster from their practice squad Wednesday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Rader was elevated from the team's practice squad for Sunday's game against the Bengals, seeing nine snaps on offense, but didn't see a target. His official move to the active roster comes as fellow tight end Josh Whyle continues to deal with an ankle injury.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Hendershot (ankle) won't practice Wednesday, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hendershot missed the team's Week 4 win over the Patriots after he popped up on the team's injury report Friday. The second-year pro is still working toward recovery and will spend the first day of Week 5 prep on the sideline.

Bellinger (knee) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record reports.

Bellinger suffered the injury during the Giants' first possession of Monday's 24-3 loss to the Seahawks and was unable to return. His ability to get on the field Wednesday is a positive development for his chances of suiting up this Sunday against the Dolphins, though he may need to put in a full practice by Friday to avoid carrying an injury designation into the weekend.

Gindorff signed with the Steelers' practice squad Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Gindorff will add depth to the team's practice squad with Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) currently sidelined and the team signing Rodney Williams to their active roster. The North Dakota State product went undrafted in 2023 and spent training camp with the Seahawks before ultimately being waived in August.

Williams was signed from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official site reports.

Williams spent much of 2022 with Pittsburgh after going undrafted out of UT Martin and was with the team again during training camp and ultimately remained as a member of the practice squad. The 25-year-old has yet to play in an NFL game, but that is likely to change Sunday against the Ravens with his addition to the 53-man roster and Pat Freiermuth (hamstring) considered doubtful for the matchup.