NFL Player News

Ferguson was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a concussion sustained in Sunday's 27-23 victory over the Texans, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports.

It was originally reported that Ferguson exited the game with a neck injury, so this is the first clarification he suffered a concussion. He will now need to clear the league's protocols in order to suit up for Dallas' Week 15 matchup with the Jaguars. If he is ultimately unable to go, Peyton Hendershot would presumably be the No. 2 tight end behind Dalton Schultz.

Njoku (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku was listed as a limited practice participant for the first two days of practice in Week 14, just as he has been so far in Week 15. If last week is any indication, Njoku will take part in the Browns' final practice of Week 15 prep Thursday before heading into Saturday's game against the Ravens minus a designation. Given that he played 67 snaps and drew nine targets in the Week 14 loss to the Bengals, Njoku will likely handle a three-down workload once again this weekend.

Trautman was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Before the Saints went on bye Week 14, Trautman wasn't on the injury report leading up to Week 13, so he evidently picked up the ankle issue against Tampa Bay that week or at some point during Wednesday's practice. Trautman's chances to play against Atlanta in Week 15 will come into focus based on what he's able to do at practices Thursday and Friday, though he might see his target upside reduce if fellow tight end Juwan Johnson (ankle) can return after logging a limited practice Wednesday.

Johnson (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson was unable to practice leading up to New Orleans' loss to Tampa Bay in Week 13, so his return to practice coming off the Saints' Week 14 bye is an encouraging sign. With the bye week giving him additional healing time, Johnson will hopefully be able to suit up Sunday against the Falcons. Fellow tight end Adam Trautman, who started in place of Johnson in Week 13, was also limited in practice Wednesday with an ankle issue.

Head coach Zac Taylor acknowledged Wednesday that it "seems doubtful" that Hurst (calf) will be able to play Sunday against the Buccaneers, Marisa Contipelli of the Bengals' official site reports.

Taylor previously described Hurst as week-to-week, and the tight end is trending toward missing his second straight game. In Hurst's absence this past Sunday against the Browns, Mitchell Wilcox filled in as a starter and caught one of his two targets for 10 yards.

McKitty recorded a five-yard reception on his lone target in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Chargers.

Though Gerald Everett is the Chargers' starting tight end, McKitty frequently shares the field with him. He played 40 snaps on offense in Week 14, though unlike Everett -- who finished with five catches for 28 yards on eight targets -- McKitty wasn't prominently featured in the passing attack. Since earning six targets Week 10 against the 49ers, McKitty has drawn only two looks from quarterback Justin Herbert in the Chargers' subsequent four games.

Smartt hauled in his lone target for an eight-yard gain in Sunday's 23-17 win over the Dolphins.

Smartt has suited up in each of the Chargers' last four games, but the undrafted rookie out of Old Dominion logged just four snaps on offense Week 14. He's firmly behind Gerald Everett (56 snaps) and Tre' McKitty (40 snaps) in the pecking order at tight end.

Parkinson hauled in one of his two targets for a 10-yard gain in Sunday's 30-24 loss to the Panthers.

He played 17 snaps in the Week 14 loss, finishing third behind Noah Fant (29) and Will Dissly (21) among the Seahawks' tight ends. So long as Fant and Dissly are available, Parkinson is unlikely to see enough playing time to be a reliable starting option in the majority of fantasy leagues.

Freiermuth (foot) didn't practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Per Pryor, Freiermuth said that he hurt his foot on his first reception in this past Sunday's 16-14 loss to the Ravens. While the tight end wasn't able to practice Wednesday, he expects to be available when the Steelers face the Panthers this weekend.

The Raiders designated Waller (hamstring) for return from injured reserve Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The transaction opens a 21-day window in which Waller can practice without counting against the roster limit. Waller won't be included on the official practice report while technically still on IR, but updates from Raiders beat writers throughout the week could provide some clue about whether the tight end is on track to return for Sunday's game against the Patriots. Foster Moreau has been filling in as the Raiders' top tight end during Waller's extended absence.