NFL Player News

Higbee (Achilles) agreed to a three-year, $27 million contract extension with the Rams on Friday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Higbee is one of the Rams' three remaining starters from the Jeff Fisher era and previously was scheduled for free agency this coming spring. A top-heavy roster with an older quarterback means talk of a rebuild may spark up again this offseason if the current season doesn't go well for the Rams, but Higbee now looks to be part of the franchise's future even if that happens. While he's never come close to matching his torrid finish to the 2019 season -- 522 yards on 56 targets the final five weeks -- Higbee is prized by the Rams because he's one of the few tight ends in the league that can truly claim competence as a pass catcher, run blocker and pass blocker. As for the immediate future, he missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with an Achilles injury, creating some question about his status for Sunday's game at Indianapolis.

Thomas (concussion) will be available to play Sunday against the Eagles, Matthew Paras of The Washington Times reports.

After missing a week of practice and one game, Thomas returned to limited practice participation Wednesday before upgrading to full activity Thursday. He now heads into Sunday without an injury designation, pushing fellow Washington tight ends Cole Turner and John Bates back to complementary roles. Thomas surprisingly had a team-high 11 targets through his six quarters of play this season before exiting early with the concussion Week 2, though in the long run, he probably won't get as many looks as wideouts Terry McLaurin or Jahan Dotson. Challenging slot man Curtis Samuel to be third on the team in targets is a more reasonable goal for the 32-year-old tight end.

Wright was not targeted with a pass during Thursday's 34-20 win over Green Bay.

Wright logged over half of the offensive snaps, but the Notre Dame product has not been targeted in three games since his two-reception performance in Week 1. Meanwhile, rookie Sam LaPorta has exceeded all expectations as the Lions' top pass-catching tight end. As long as LaPorta is healthy, there probably won't be any need for Wright to catch passes on a regular basis.

Smith (hamstring) won't play Sunday at Tennessee, Ben Baby of ESPN.com reports.

Smith will miss a second consecutive game after failing to practice at all during the week. Tanner Hudson was elevated from the practice squad with Smith out in Week 3 against the Rams and proceeded to lead Cincinnati's tight ends with 30 yards on four targets, while Mitchell Wilcox gained 10 yards on three targets and Drew Sample turned his only target into a seven-yard gain. If Hudson is brought up from the practice squad again, he would likely work as Cincinnati's top pass-catching tight end against the Titans.

Smith (hamstring) wasn't spotted at Friday's practice, Kelsey Conway of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Smith didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday either, so the tight end appears to be trending toward a second straight absence Sunday against the Titans. If Smith is unavailable this weekend, Drew Sample and Mitchell Wilcox would once again be in line for added snaps within the Bengals' tight-end corps, while Tanner Hudson could be elevated from the practice squad to provide additional depth to the position group.

LaPorta caught four of five targets for 56 yards during Thursday's 34-20 win over Green Bay.

LaPorta looked like he was on his way to a big night after getting loose for a 35-yard gain within the game's opening minutes. While he received another four targets before halftime, he didn't see another pass come his way in the second half with Detroit protecting a large lead with the run game -- and successfully limiting Green Bay to less than three minutes of fourth-quarter offense in the process. While this muted finish is disappointing for LaPorta's production, through three weeks only 12 other tight ends have a per-game target average that is at or above the rookie's first-half involvement from Thursday, which also ties the rookie's minimum number of targets from his Week 1 professional debut. With only Zach Ertz seeing a larger team target share among all tight ends, the ascending LaPorta will be a high-quality fantasy option when Detroit reconvenes for a Week 5 matchup with Carolina.

Kraft was targeted twice and caught two passes for five yards in Thursday's 34-20 loss to the Lions.

Kraft went catchless over the first three games of his rookie season, but he recorded the first two receptions of his career in Week 4. He could see more opportunities in Week 5 if Luke Musgrave (head) is unable to go, but with the Packers going from a Thursday game to a Monday contest, Musgrave will have more time to recover than usual.

Deguara secured all four of his targets for 34 yards in the Packers' 34-20 loss to the Lions on Thursday night.

Deguara finished second in receptions for the Packers on the night and tied for third in targets. The fourth-year tight end's season-best line was largely the byproduct of position mate Luke Musgrave leaving the game for good in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion. Despite Thursday's modest spike in production, Deguara figures to return to a complementary role behind Musgrave if the latter is cleared to return against the Raiders for a Week 5 matchup on Monday night, Oct. 9.

Musgrave (head) has been ruled out for the rest of Thursday's game against the Lions, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Musgrave originally exited the game in the second quarter to be evaluated for a head injury and did not record a catch prior to his exit. Positively, he'll have plenty of time to clear the league's concussion protocol, as the Packers don't play again until Oct. 9. Tucker Kraft and Josiah Deguara have each seen an uptick in playing time with Musgrave sidelined.

Musgrave left Thursday's game against the Lions to be evaluated for a concussion, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Musgrave exited in the second quarter and was initially evaluated in the medical tent before heading to the locker room. He failed to make a catch prior to his exit. Josiah Deguara should see an uptick in playing time so long as Musgrave is absent.