NFL Player News

Henry didn't appear on the Patriots' Week 1 injury report released Wednesday.

The Patriots should have both of their top two tight ends available for Sunday's season opener versus the Eagles, as Mike Gesicki had previously been managing a shoulder injury but is also off the Week 1 injury report. Though the Patriots could implement something of a timeshare betwen Henry and Gesicki, the two may frequently be deployed together in two-tight end sets. The arrangement could allow both players to yield some degree of fantasy utility in 2023.

Cager (ankle) was a limited participant in practice Wednesday.

Cager will contribute mostly on special teams and goal-line situations should he be able to suit up for Week 1 against the Cowboys this Sunday. He won the No. 3 tight end spot behind Darren Waller and Daniel Bellinger after his main competition, Chris Myarick, was placed on injured reserve with a fractured hand before final roster cuts.

Kittle (undisclosed) participated in the open portion of Wednesday's practice, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kittle sat out the 49ers' first two preseason games due to an adductor strain before returning for the exhibition finale. While he managed to play 12 offensive snaps, he didn't haul in his lone target and also required additional rest in the aftermath of that contest. On Monday, Kittle was contained to a side field, so his return to drills in some capacity two days later is a positive development. Wednesday's injury report will reveal whether he was a limited or full participant.

Hockenson (lower back) wasn't listed on the Vikings' first Week 1 injury report Wednesday.

Since the start of training camp, Hockenson didn't get much on-field work or any preseason action due to the combination of an ear infection and stiffness in his lower back. The issues didn't stop the Vikings from paying up for the tight end, as Minnesota rewarded Hockenson last week with a four-year, $66 million extension. Now that he's back to full health, Hockenson can turn his focus to being one of the top targets for quarterback Kirk Cousins alongside wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and running back Alexander Mattison.

Gesicki (shoulder) wasn't listed Wednesday on the Patriots' Week 1 injury report.

Gesicki suffered a mild shoulder dislocation in mid-August, but he's good to go as Sunday's season opener against the Eagles approaches. In his first season in New England, Gesicki is expected to share snaps and targets at tight end with Hunter Henry, and the Patriots are likely to feature a fair amount of two-tight end sets that will allow both players to share the field. The potential for a timeshare could result in Gesicki's weekly target volume fluctuating, but he could carve out fantasy utility in 2023 nonetheless, given his pass-catching prowess.

Ertz (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

Ertz's 2022 season came to an early end in Week 10, when he sustained damage to the ACL and MCL in his left knee and ultimately required surgery last November. He always expressed a clear goal to be ready for Week 1 of the coming campaign, and after spending the first two and a half weeks of training camp on the active/PUP list, he was cleared to practice Aug. 14. Ertz has yet to achieve that ever elusive full participation in practice, but he'll have two more opportunities to do so before Sunday's road matchup with the Commanders.

Andrews was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to a quadricep injury.

As promised by head coach John Harbaugh, Andrews returned to practice Wednesday, and the release of the team's first official injury report of the regular season revealed the nature of the issue that had kept the tight end off the field for the Ravens' past six practice sessions. Even though he was limited in his return to the field, Andrews still seems on track to play this Sunday against Houston, with Harbaugh downplaying the severity of the injury at least two or three times over the past week.

Thomas (calf) wasn't listed Wednesday on the Commanders' Week 1 injury report.

Thomas' absence from the injury report confirms that he's completed his recovery from the calf strain that kept him out of practice and preseason games for nearly all of August. He'll likely reclaim his role as the team's top receiving tight end this Sunday against the Cardinals, though he could cede a few routes and snaps to Cole Turner as well as blocking tight end John Bates.

Whyle (ankle) wasn't included on Tennessee's first Week 1 injury report released Wednesday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

The rookie fifth-round draft pick was forced out of the Titans' preseason finale with an ankle injury, but he looks to be back to full speed ahead of Week 1. Whyle isn't expected to hold a major role in the passing game in 2023 while he's stuck behind Chigoziem Okonkwo on the depth chart at tight end in what projects to be a run-first Tennessee offense.

Kelce (knee) is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Lions.

Kelce hyperextended his knee during Tuesday's practice and was tagged as a non-participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report. The fact that he's listed as questionable for the season opener supports the notion that Kelce has avoided a long-term issue, but in any event, a decision on his Week 1 status could go down the wire ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff. If Kelce is unable to face Detroit, Noah Gray would likely fill in as the Chiefs' top pass-catching tight end, while Kelce's high volume of targets would be spread around out among Gray and the team's receivers and running backs.