NFL Player News

Hockenson (knee) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson was withheld from the Lions' first Week 7 practice Wednesday, but his return to the field Thursday in a limited capacity suggests his absence from the field a day earlier may have been mostly for maintenance purposes. Hockenson may need to practice fully Friday to avoid carrying a questionable designation into Sunday's game against the Rams, but regardless, he appears on track to play this weekend.

Vannett (knee) was designated to return from injured reserve Thursday, John DeShazier of the Saints' official site reports.

Vannett has been on injured reserve since Sept. 7, but he'll be able to rejoin the Saints for practice this week. The tight end will have to be activated within the next 21 days if he hopes to return this year.

Engram was listed as a non-participant in Thursday's practice due to a calf injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Along with Engram, Sterling Shepard (hamstring) was a new addition to Thursday's injury report, meaning that the team's top tight end, top running back and top four receivers were either non-participants or limited participants in the Giants' penultimate practice of the week. While Engram's lack of reps Thursday is clearing a discouraging sign for his chances of playing Sunday against the Panthers, he would be able to quell at least some of the concerns about his availability by returning to the field Friday as a limited or full participant. If Engram can't play Week 7, Kyle Rudolph would likely step in as the Giants' starting tight end. It's worth noting that Engram missed the Giants' first two games of the season with a calf injury, but it's unclear if he's dealing with a related setback or a new concern this time around.

Goedert (illness) didn't participate in Thursday's practice despite being activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier in the day.

According to Josh Tolentino of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Goedert was in attendance for the practice, though he was working off to the side during the media-access portion of the session. Since Goedert had been away from the team since Oct. 12 after testing positive for COVID-19, the Eagles may have just been easing him back in while he works to regain conditioning. A clearer idea regarding Goedert's status for Sunday's matchup with the Raiders should come when the Eagles release their final Week 7 practice report, but assuming he participates in Friday's session in some capacity, he should be in line for a full workload on game day.

Seals-Jones (quadriceps) practiced in a limited capacity Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post reports.

This follows an absence from Wednesday's session as Seals-Jones tends to a quad issue. By getting back into at least positional drills one day later, he's putting himself into a position to not miss any game action, but Friday's injury report ultimately will determine if he goes into the weekend with an injury designation attached to his name. With Logan Thomas (hamstring) out of commission most of the last three games, Seals-Jones has been Washington's clear-cut No. 1 TE, playing 90 percent of the offensive snaps in each contest while compiling an 11-118-1 receiving line on 19 targets.

Hockenson (knee) returned to practice Thursday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Hockenson didn't participate in Wednesday's practice, but the tight end's return for Thursday's session bodes well for his chances of suiting up for Sunday's contest against the Rams. That said, it wouldn't surprise us to see Hockenson listed as questionable come Friday, as he was in advance of Week 6 action before suiting up this past Sunday against the Bengals en route to catching eight of his 11 targets for 74 yards.

Seals-Jones (quadriceps) was spotted taking part in positional drills during the open portion of Thursday's practice, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.

After sitting out Wednesday's session entirely, Seals-Jones looks like he'll be able to practice on at least a limited basis Thursday. If he's able to move past the quad issue in advance of Sunday's game in Green Bay, Seals-Jones should operate as Washington's clear No. 1 tight end, and one of the top options in the team's passing attack overall. Seals-Jones has played over 90 percent of Washington's offensive snaps in each of the three games since Logan Thomas went down with a hamstring injury, producing an 11-118-1 receiving line on 19 targets over that stretch.

Daniels (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday and wasn't on the field for Thursday's session, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

With Daniels beginning Week 7 prep with consecutive absences at practice, he's trending in the wrong direction for Sunday's game against the Texans. Daniels appeared headed for a bigger opportunity after top tight end Maxx Williams (knee) was placed on injured reserve ahead of the Cardinals' Week 6 win over the Browns, but the 26-year-old played just 23 snaps and drew one target before exiting with the hamstring injury. Arizona has since acquired Zach Ertz from Philadelphia to take over as the No. 1 option at the position, so Daniels will be headed for a backup role if he can overcome his hamstring injury ahead of Sunday's contest.

The Eagles aren't likely to add Jackson (back) to the active roster for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Mike Kaye of NJ.com reports.

The Eagles could realistically be willing to take their time with Jackson, who is still working his way back from an injury and, as a former quarterback, learning the subtleties of the tight end position. The team activated Dallas Goedert from the COVID-19 list Wednesday, and Richard Rodgers is available to bump up from the practice squad in case more depth is required for Week 7.

The Eagles reinstated Goedert (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday.

Though he wasn't able to clear all health and safety protocols ahead of the Eagles' first Week 7 practice Wednesday, Goedert should be back on the field Thursday and Friday. The pair of practice sessions should be enough for Goedert to get back up to full speed in advance of the Eagles' game Sunday in Las Vegas, where he could be in store for an uptick in snaps and targets compared to what he saw in the first five weeks of the season. Now that Zach Ertz is in Arizona, Goedert is locked in as the Eagles' clear No. 1 tight end, and he shouldn't have to yield much work to backup options Jack Stoll or Tyree Jackson (back), neither of whom has much NFL experience or prospect pedigree.