NFL Player News

Wright (hip) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Wright seems to have suffered a hip injury in the Lions' Week 15 win over the Broncos, and after missing the entire week of practice, it's no surprise that he's been ruled out Sunday. James Mitchell will get the opportunity to serve as Detroit's No. 2 tight end with Wright missing Week 16.

Musgrave (abdomen) has been ruled out for Sunday's game at Carolina but still hopes to play again this season, Ryan Wood of USA Today reports.

Musgrave said he doesn't mind playing through pain but has to be cautious when dealing with an internal injury, particularly one that was graded at "level four out of five," Fellow rookie Tucker Kraft has filled in capably in terms of receiving production, averaging 3.3 catches for 43.3 yards and 0.5 TDs over the past four games while playing at least 95 percent of snaps on offense in each contest. Kraft figures to handle a three-down role again this Sunday at Carolina, and it sounds like he could have the role for another week or two beyond that. The Packers designated Musgrave for a return from injured reserve Thursday but didn't actually have him practice.

Kmet (quadriceps) remained limited at Friday's practice and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Kmet was added to the injury report Thursday as a limited participant, marking his first listing of any kind since the first week of November. His ability to practice in any capacity Friday suggests the quad injury isn't serious, though the timing might still be a problem when it comes to his availability/contributions this Sunday. The Bears and Cardinals are scheduled for a late-afternoon kickoff Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, with Robert Tonyan set up to get most of the routes and targets and tight end if Kmet is inactive.

Cager (groin) was considered a non-participant on the Giants' estimated injury report Friday, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

Cager did not practice Thursday, and he remained on the sidelines Friday. He'll look to participate in some capacity during Saturday's session. If he can't suit up versus the Eagles on Monday night, his absence wouldn't carry much of an offensive impact.

Higgins played 25 of 74 snaps on offense and recorded four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown on four targets in Sunday's 45-29 loss to the 49ers.

Starter Trey McBride has rightfully drawn most of the attention among Arizona tight ends since moving into a full-time role Week 8, but the rookie Higgins is beginning to make some waves of his own. With Arizona having since waived Zach Ertz and with Geoff Swaim (calf) recently landing on injured reserve, Higgins should be locked in as the clear No. 2 tight end for the final three weeks of the season. He turned in his best outing yet in the loss to San Francisco, but Higgins had already drawn two targets in each of the preceding three contests and contributed a pair of 20-plus-yard receptions.

Thomas (ankle) is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Packers.

Thomas upgraded to full participation in Friday's practice after a pair of limited sessions, which suggests he's trending in the right direction heading into Sunday's game. With Hayden Hurst (concussion) on IR, Thomas could play a prominent role alongside Tommy Tremble and Stephen Sullivan if Thomas is given the green light to return against Green Bay following a one-game absence.

Henry (knee) was present for the start of Friday's practice, Zack Cox of NESN.com reports.

Henry was also spotted during the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, but he ended up being listed as a non-participant on the Patriots' official injury report, as he was Wednesday. The Patriots will release their final injury report of the week later Friday, when it will be known whether or not Henry carries a designation into Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Tremble (illness) isn't listed on the final injury report for Sunday's game against Green Bay.

Tremble dealt with an illness earlier in the week but returned to health by Friday. While yet to see more than three targets in a game this season, he's been getting most of the TE snaps and routes ever since Hayden Hurst suffered a season-ending concussion.

Higbee secured all three targets for 30 yards during Thursday's 30-22 victory over the Saints.

Although the Rams' offense has been humming along in recent weeks, the veteran tight end's production has remained stagnant, with a meager amount of targets compared to the wideouts and fairly mediocre receiving stats overall. Of Matthew Stafford's 34 passing attempts against the Saints, 31 were targeted to the receiving trio of Puka Nacua, Cooper Kupp and Demarcus Robinson, while Higbee was the only other player on the team to earn any targets at all. The Giants, who have been fairly stingy against tight ends, are up next for the suddenly surging Rams in Week 17.

Johnson secured four of seven targets for 48 yards and a touchdown in the Saints' 30-22 loss to the Rams on Thursday night.

The talented tight end was third in receptions, receiving yards and targets for the Saints, and the latter two figures set and tied a season high, respectively. Johnson's catch total was his highest since Week 12 as well, and he scored for the second time in four days on a five-yard touchdown grab just past the midway point of the fourth quarter. Johnson next takes aim at a Buccaneers defense that's been vulnerable to tight ends all season when the Saints square off with their division rival in a Week 17 road matchup on New Year's Eve.