NFL Player News

Waller (hamstring) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com reports.

Waller was a limited participant all last week and listed as questionable before ultimately missing the 24-0 loss to New Orleans. He at least seems to have avoided a setback, and a return to full practice participation by the end of the week would have him on track to play in Sunday's game in Jacksonville.

Wright (concussion protocol) was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice.

Wright exited this past Sunday's loss to the Dolphins late in the contest to be evaluated for a concussion, and the first practice report of Week 9 revealed that he's indeed in the NFL's protocol for head injuries. It's unclear if he actually has a concussion, but he nonetheless must clear the five steps necessary to be cleared for game action. Whether or not that happens before Sunday's contest against the Packers remains to be seen, but with T.J. Hockenson shipped off to Minnesota on Tuesday, Wright stands to benefit in terms of snaps and targets once he's available. In seven games this season, Wright has hauled in all six targets for 88 yards.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Smith may need surgery on the high-ankle sprain he sustained this past Sunday against the Cardinals, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Smith is getting a second opinion to determine whether a procedure is necessary, but despite initial reports that his recovery timetable will be 8-to-10 weeks, O'Connell told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he doesn't have precise time frame for the tight end. Ultimately, Smith is in danger of missing most of the rest of the regular season, which likely spurred the Vikings to acquire T.J. Hockenson from the Lions on Tuesday. As long as Smith is sidelined, Hockenson and Johnny Mundt will be the main tight ends in Minnesota.

Parham cleared concussion protocols and will practice Wednesday, but the tight end's status for Sunday's matchup against the Falcons remains to be determined, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Parham was sidelined for the Chargers' Week 7 matchup against Seattle due to a concussion but appears to have progressed through protocols during the team's Week 8 bye. The level of his participation Wednesday remains unknown, but he'll likely have to log at least one full practice before returning to game action.

Turner (concussion) was a limited participant during Wednesday's practice, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Turner suffered a concussion during the team's Week 7 win over the Packers and was unable to practice before being ruled out for Week 8. It's an encouraging sign to see the tight end back practicing, albeit in a limited fashion, but he'll likely have to log at least one full session before returning to game action.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Bell (hip) is close to a return but added the tight end could also be sidelined for a couple more weeks, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Bell began the campaign on IR following surgery to repair a hip flexor injury he suffered in late August and has remained sidelined since. While Reid's comments about the tight end being close to a return are encouraging, the head coach had a similar sentiment ahead of Kansas City's Week 8 bye, but Bell still remains on IR to start Week 9. It sounds like the Chiefs expect the tight end to return this season, but they don't appear to be in any rush to get him back on the active roster.

Thomas (calf) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas returned for Sunday's win over Indianapolis after missing three games with a calf injury, and while he took 56 percent of Washington's snaps on offense, the veteran tight end finished without a target. He should see a looks this weekend against the Vikings, assuming he experiences no setbacks with the calf during practice. The every-down role he held in 2020 may be a thing of the past, however.

Calcaterra wasn't targeted while playing 11 of the Eagles' 53 snaps on offense Sunday in the team's 35-13 win over the Steelers.

A healthy inactive through the Eagles' first two games, Calcaterra has now dressed in five consecutive contests as Philadelphia's No. 3 tight end. The role hasn't translated to much meaningful production or playing time, as the rookie has one reception (for 40 yards) to his name while playing just 55 total snaps on offense in his five games.

Stoll failed to haul in his lone target in Sunday's 35-13 win over the Steelers.

Stoll was on the field for 47 percent of the Eagles' offensive plays Sunday, his highest share since Week 3. The fact that the Eagles took a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter might have played a factor in Stoll's elevated playing time, but the Nebraska product still shares the field fairly often with top tight end Dallas Goedert in more competitive contests. However, Stoll typically serves as a blocker whenever he's on the field; he's drawn just four targets through seven games.

Deguara recorded a nine-yard reception in Sunday's 27-17 loss to the Bills.

Deguara played a season-high 28 snaps (44 percent share) in the Week 8 loss, surpassing Marcedes Lewis as the Packers' No. 2 tight end for the first time all season. It's unclear if that trend will continue moving forward or if it was more of a result of the Bills having the game in hand by the fourth quarter, but either way, Deguara and Lewis will both be firmly behind starter Robert Tonyan in the pecking order for snaps at tight end.