NFL Player News

The Bills (foot) activated Sweeney off the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Sweeney has yet to suit up in game action this season, as he's battled a foot injury and placement on the COVID-19 list. The team is pretty set with Dawson Knox and Tyler Kroft as the top two receiving options at tight end, so if Sweeney does end up playing this season he'll likely only assume a blocking role for the offense.

Lewis (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Lewis has been a recurring member of the Packers' injury report due to this knee injury, but he's managed to play in the last four games. The veteran tight end typically sticks to a blocking role, but he has scored twice on just four receptions this year.

Smythe (concussion) is listed as a limited participant on Wednesday's injury report, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

The Dolphins only hosted a walk-through Wednesday, so Smythe's "limited" listing is just an estimation of what he would have done in a full practice. Nonetheless, it serves as an indication that the backup tight end is progressing through the concussion protocol.

Alie-Cox (knee) was listed as a full participant on Wednesday's estimated practice report but is considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Titans.

The Colts held three walk-through sessions this week in lieu of practices, with Alie-Cox going down as a non-participant Monday and a limited participant Tuesday before upgrading to full activity. As such, Alie-Cox probably has a better than 50-50 chance of playing than his questionable designation implies, and he could have a heightened role if he suits up with fellow tight end Jack Doyle (concussion) ruled out for the contest.

Fant (ankle) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Fant aggravated an existing ankle injury during Sunday's loss to the Falcons, but he was able to return to the contest to finish with three receptions for 45 yards. Despite the second-year tight end having tending to the injury off and on since early October, coach Vic Fangio expects that Fant will continue to play through it. Fant has already been taking on most of the snaps at tight end this season, and the Broncos may be forced to rely on him even more moving forward after top backup Albert Okwuegbunam (knee) sustained a season-ending ACL tear last week.

Vannett is one of the few healthy bodies in Denver's tight-end room with Albert Okwuegbunam (ACL), Andrew Beck (hamstring) and Jake Butt (hamstring) all heading to injured reserve during the past week, Kyle Newman of The Denver Post reports.

That rash of injuries doesn't even include Noah Fant's continued ankle troubles. The Broncos were doing well by mixing in Okwuegbunam in recent weeks, but don't expect Vannett to fill that role. He and Okwuegbunam are of very different skill sets, and Vannett has never been much of a consistent threat in the passing game. Vannett heads into Sunday's game against Las Vegas with just six catches on the season and just one outing with multiple catches this year. The Broncos figure to run even more three-receiver sets -- their most common personnel grouping -- than they already have.

Arnold hauled in his lone target for a 16-yard reception during Sunday's 34-31 loss to the Dolphins.

Arnold was coming off a season best 57-yard outing in his last game Week 7 against the Seahawks, but he offered little production in the three games prior. The 25-year-old averaged 24.3 receiving yards per game over the first quarter of the regular season, but he proceeded to go untargeted on a combined 53 snaps Weeks 5 and 6. With Darrell Daniels securing a 21-yard TD pass from Kyler Murray on Sunday, Arnold currently finds himself playing second fiddle at the tight end position.

Dissly caught his lone target for 26 yards in Sunday's 44-34 loss to the Bills.

Dissly finally surpassed Greg Olsen in snap share last week, but his usage nosedived against the Bills, as he finished third among Seahawks tight ends at 32 percent. Jacob Hollister ended up leading the group and finished with five receptions for 60 yards. Hollister is a crafty tight end in his own right, so this trend could continue, although it's been a fool's errand to predict a fantasy-relevant tight end in Seattle all year.

Wells signed to the Patriots' practice squad Tuesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

The 25-year-old went undrafted out of San Diego State in 2018 and spent time in camp with the Chiefs last year, but he has yet to see NFL action. Wells provides some potential depth at tight end with Dalton Keene (knee) and Devin Asiasi (undisclosed) both landing on injured reserve this month.

The Broncos placed Okwuegbunam (knee) on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Okwuegbunam showed flashes of his potential in his rookie season, as Drew Lock targeted him in the red zone four times over four games, and the tight end finished with 11 receptions for 121 yards and a score in that stretch. The Missouri product suffered an ACL injury Week 9 and will be shut down for the season, and he could make a full recovery for the 2021 campaign. Moving forward, Noah Fant (ankle) will continue to operate as the No. 1 tight end while Nick Vannett collects some of the reps left behind by Okwuegbunam.