NFL Player News

Okwuegbunam may be active Sunday against the Chiefs for the first time since Week 5, according to head coach Nathanial Hackett, Zac Stevens of the DNVR.com reports.

Okwuegbunam has been a healthy scratch since the Week 6 debut of Greg Dulcich. The former's inability to succeed in a blocking role has left him stuck behind Eric Tomlinson and Eric Saubert on the team's positional depth chart, while Dulcich handles more of a receiving role for the team at tight end. However, with Courtland Sutton (hamstring) considered doubtful for Sunday's game with the Chiefs, Okwuegbunam could find himself active and taking on a wide receiver role in the contest, as the Broncos would be lacking size at the position if Sutton were to sit.

Dissly was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a calf injury, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dissly hasn't had any prior practice limitations this season and earns better than 50 percent of the snaps most weeks, resulting in between one and four catches per game through 12 contests. Overall, he has a modest 30-297-3 receiving line on 33 targets. Considering Dissly wasn't able to take part in drills to kick off this week, his status will be watched as the weekend approaches to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's matchup with the Panthers.

Smythe (quad/knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Smythe appears to have picked up both quad and knee injuries during the Dolphins' Week 13 loss to the 49ers, explaining why he opened the week in limited fashion. The 27-year-old tight end has two more chances to practice in full before the team is forced to tag him with an injury designation heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Chargers.

The Chargers designated Parham (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Wednesday's transaction opens a 21-day window for the Chargers to add Parham back to the active roster, after he missed each of the team's last six games with a hamstring issue. Once it's been medically determined that the 25-year-old is ready for game action, he'll likely compete for rotational snaps with Tre' McKitty and Stone Smartt behind starter Gerald Everett.

Horsted (concussion) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Rams, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Horsted sustained a concussion during the Raiders' Week 12 matchup in Seattle, and the 25-year-old will ultimately miss his second consecutive contest because of it. Horsted has mainly operated as a special-teams contributor thus far in 2022, so his absence shouldn't greatly alter Las Vegas' game plan Thursday against the Rams.

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

Njoku missed three of the past six games with two separate knee injuries but reportedly is expected to return from a one-week absence for Sunday's matchup with Cincinnati. Petrak notes that the tight end looked good at Wednesday's practice, though the Browns kept him limited rather than unleashing Njoku as a full participant. That could be coming Thursday or Friday.

Morris (illness) isn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Morris was inactive for last Thursday's win over the Patriots due to the illness, but he's had plenty of time to recover and should be good to go for Sunday's matchup against the Jets. Across 10 appearances this season, Morris has caught seven of 10 targets for 70 yards.

Ricci (neck) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.

Ricci hasn't played since Week 10 due to a neck issue. This isn't the first time he's logged limited participation since picking up the injury, so he'll likely have to submit at least one full practice before returning to game action.

Kieft brought in one of two targets for 12 yards in the Buccaneers' 17-16 win over the Saints on Monday night.

Kieft was able to once again make an appearance on the stat sheet with Cameron Brate (illness) sidelined, recording a catch for the fifth time in the last six games. Despite the frequent cameo appearances in the air attack, the rookie sixth-round pick is the Buccaneers' clear block-first tight end even when a pass-catching option at the position like Brate is sidelined.

Swaim recorded one reception on one target for four yards in Sunday's 35-10 loss to the Eagles.

Swaim played a season-low 20 snaps while continuing to give way to both Austin Hooper and Chigoziem Okonkwo. His lone catch of the game came midway through the third quarter and was not impactful. Even if Swaim sees his playing time tick back up, his primary role will almost certainly be as a blocker.