NFL Player News

Okwuegbunam's future with the Broncos could come down to how he performs in Saturday's preseason finale against the Rams, as special-teams coach Ben Kotwica hinted he is on the roster bubble, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

The Broncos are seemingly set at tight end with Adam Trautman and Greg Dulcich, so Okwuegbunam's route to the the 53-man roster appears to be via special teams. He has apparently logged some good practices over the past week, so his final test may be in Saturday's exhibition game.

Kmet (undisclosed) was practicing in full Thursday, Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kmet left Wednesday's practice early due to an unspecified issue, but Lieser reports Kmet's Thursday practice looked "normal." It sounds like a non-issue for the Bears' top tight end ahead of the 2023 NFL campaign.

Sweeney (undisclosed) was back at the Giants' facility Thursday after suffering a medical emergency Wednesday, Bob Brookover of NJ.com reports.

Details of Sweeney's "medical event' are still unknown, and he is still going through some evaluations. However, "he's good," according to head coach Brian Daboll. It still remains unclear how this will affect Sweeney's potential 2023 campaign, but it's certainly good news that he was present the team's facility Thursday.

Thomas (calf) will do individual work Thursday, with coach Ron Rivera noting that the tight end has "progressed very well," Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

Thomas hasn't practiced with teammates since at least Aug. 3 and seems likely to miss a third straight preseason game when the Commanders host the Bengals on Saturday. Second-year pro Cole Turner has been filling in as the top tight end for the first-team offense, catching six passes for 54 yards through two preseason games, including five connections with starting QB Sam Howell.

Parham (undisclosed) missed Tuesday's practice due to injury but was able to participate in individual drills Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

The tight end doesn't appear to be battling anything serious, as he described the reason for being sidelined Tuesday as, "working through some stuff from practice last week." Parham is a lock to make the Chargers' initial 53-man roster, so it wouldn't be surprising if he sits out the team's preseason finale Friday against San Francisco.

Andrews missed Wednesday's practice with an unspecified injury, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

Head coach John Harbaugh said there's "nothing serious" going on with Andrews, noting that the tight end is "just dealing with something that we're kind of working through right now." With that in mind, Andrews is looking unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Buccaneers, while focusing on readying himself for Week 1.

Sweeney (undisclosed) is under the care of medical professionals in the Giants' training room after experiencing a medical event during Wednesday's practice, Bob Brookover of NJ.com reports. He is stable, alert and conversant.

Sweeney had been working with coaches on a side field when he had a medical episode that required the help of medical professionals. Most importantly, the tight end is in stable condition, but Sweeney's availability moving forward hasn't been clarified.

Coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that the possibility of Long (undisclosed) beginning the 2023 season on the PUP list hasn't been ruled out, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

The Rams placed Long on the active/PUP with an undisclosed injury late July. The issue has forced him to miss two preseason games and weeks of valuable training camp reps already. McVay said he hopes Long can return soon, but at this point the team may consider keeping him on the PUP list simply so he doesn't take up a spot on the 53-man roster. If Long does start Week 1 on the PUP list, he will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Kmet departed Wednesday's practice due to an unspecified injury, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kmet exited the field with the assistance of a cart, though it's possible the tight end was helped to the locker room as a matter of precaution. The 24-year-old recently inked a four-year extension and looks locked into a key role on offense for the Bears, with the potential to emerge as one of Justin Fields' favorite targets in 2023.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Hockenson missed practice due to lower-back stiffness, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Hockenson has recovered from the ear infection that hampered him in mid-August, but the lower-back issue could sideline him for Saturday's preseason finale against the Cardinals. The starting tight end still has well over two weeks to recover before Minnesota's Sept. 10 regular-season opener against Tampa Bay, but he may have to shake off some rust if he indeed fails to log a preseason appearance.