NFL Player News
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Daniel Bellinger TE | NYG
Giants' Daniel Bellinger: Can't build upon season-best effort
Bellinger didn't get any targets in Thursday's 34-17 Week 6 win over the Eagles.
In a Week 5 loss to New Orleans, Bellinger broke out with a season-high and team-leading 52 receiving yards on four catches. That led to an expectation that he would be significantly involved on offense Week 6 with New York depleted at the wideout position, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, but things didn't shake out that way. While Bellinger did log a healthy 57 percent snap share, he never had a pass thrown his way during a game in which New York leaned heavily on its ground game. Meanwhile, No. 1 tight end Theo Johnson caught two of four targets for 27 yards and logged a 90 percent snap share. Though Bellinger has caught every one of his targets so far this season, that's resulted in a very modest 7-85-0 receiving line through six contests.
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Colston Loveland TE | CHI
Bears' Colston Loveland: Limited in practice again
Loveland (hip) was a limited practice participant Friday.
Loveland was also limited Thursday, following a Week 4 absence and Week 5 bye. He'll likely just be Chicago's No. 2 tight end if he ends up playing Monday night at Washington.
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Darren Waller TE | MIA
Dolphins' Darren Waller: Cleared despite limited practices
Waller (hip/rest) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Chargers, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Waller was a limited participant Thursday and Friday after failing to practice Wednesday, but he'll be available for Week 6 action. The veteran tight end has thrived since recovering from a hip injury that sidelined him through Week 3, posting eight catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns across two games since making his Dolphins debut.
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Drew Sample TE | CIN
Bengals' Drew Sample: Cleared to play Week 6
Sample (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Packers, Kelsey Conway of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.
Sample upgraded his practice participation throughout the week to gain clearance, as he went from a non-participant Wednesday to a limited participant Thursday before practicing without limitations Friday. Sample's impact in the passing game will likely remain limited, as Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant are ahead of him on the depth chart.
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Brock Bowers TE | LV
Raiders' Brock Bowers: Not practicing Friday
Bowers (knee) isn't taking part in Friday's practice, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.
Bowers didn't suit up this past Sunday at Indianapolis due to a lingering PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee, and he proceeded to miss all three Week 6 practices. The lack of activity this week isn't much of a surprise, considering coach Pete Carroll called Bowers "week-to-week" Monday, per Paul Gutierrez of the Raiders' official site. The team has yet to rule out Bowers for Sunday's game against the Titans, something that may occur once it posts Friday's injury report.
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Juwan Johnson TE | NO
Saints' Juwan Johnson: Cleared to play
Johnson (ankle) doesn't have an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Ross Jackson of WWL Louisiana reports.
The minor ankle injury is less of a concern than Johnson's recent drop in production -- six targets and 45 yards over the past two games -- combined with the recent returns of fellow tight ends Taysom Hill and Foster Moreau. Johnson took 85 percent of snaps in a Week 5 win over the Giants, but that was actually his season low, with the number having dropped by a few percentage points with each passing game since he took 99 percent of snaps Week 1. He may soon run out of chances to prove that his surprising September production wasn't just a mirage.
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Colby Parkinson TE | LAR
Rams' Colby Parkinson: Clears protocol but questionable
Parkinson (concussion) has cleared concussion protocol but will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Ravens, Rams coach Sean McVay said Friday, Adam Grosbard of the LA Daily News reports.
Parkinson is eligible to suit up Sunday after clearing concussion protocol, but the team will continue to monitor his status to ensure Parkinson doesn't suffer a setback. Even if Parkinson plays, his role in the passing game will likely be limited as part of a crowded Rams tight end room that includes Tyler Higbee (hip), Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson.
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Brenton Strange TE | JAC
Jaguars' Brenton Strange: Out at least five weeks
Strange (quadriceps) is expected to miss at least five weeks due to a quadriceps and hip injury that includes a ligament tear, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reports.
Strange already was facing an absence of at least four weeks after being placed on injured reserve Tuesday, so this update doesn't significantly change his return timeline, though it provides clarity on the nature of his injury. Schultz adds that Strange isn't expected to need surgery on the injury the tight end suffered in Monday's win over Kansas City.
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Ja'Tavion Sanders TE | CAR
Panthers' Ja'Tavion Sanders: Viewed as game-time decision
Sanders (ankle) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Dallas and will be treated as a game-time decision, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Sanders appeared good to go after a full practice Thursday, but he dropped back to limited status Friday, and now his status is up in the air ahead of Sunday's 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff. If Sanders does end up missing a third straight game, Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans will take on more work at tight end again.
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Theo Johnson TE | NYG
Giants' Theo Johnson: Pair of grabs in upset victory
Johnson brought in two of four targets for 27 yards in the Giants' 34-17 win over the Eagles on Thursday night.
Johnson had flashed with a season-high six receptions and a pair of touchdowns in the Week 5 loss to the Saints on Sunday, but he was a lot quieter four days later despite the Giants' successful night on offense. Nevertheless, he finished with at least four targets for the third straight game, and he appears to have a solid rapport with rookie signal-caller Jaxson Dart heading into a challenging Week 7 road matchup against the Broncos on Sunday, Oct. 19.