NFL Player News

Goedert (thumb) participated in Sunday's practice, Zach Berman of The Athletic reports.

Goedert suffered a hairline fracture in his left thumb Friday, but he's already managed to resume participating in practice, albeit with a wrap on his hand. Top tight end Zach Ertz (upper body) also retook the practice field Sunday, putting Goedert back in position to handle his usual amount of daily reps. Even if Goedert's thumb isn't fully healed by Week 1, the expectation appears to be that he'll play through any issues.

Ertz (upper body) participated in Sunday's practice, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Ertz sat out Friday's scrimmage due to an upper body injury, but he already appears to have put that issue behind him. Fellow tight end Dallas Goedert also returned to practice Sunday, just two days after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb.

Vannett cleared the NFL's concussion protocol and returned to practice Sunday, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com reports.

Vannett suffered this concussion Wednesday but made a quick recovery. Heading into his fifth NFL season, Vannett is learning a new system but could secure the No. 2 role behind Noah Fant with a strong training camp.

Njoku's absence from practice Saturday was due to a wrist injury, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

It wasn't clear why Njoku missed Saturday's practice initially, but the absence is now explained. The Browns have yet to make an official report, which seems to indicate it's not a serious problem, but more information should be available in the coming days.

Dwelley did not participate in Saturday's practice due to a foot injury, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

The 49ers were also without Jordan Reed for at least the portion of practice open to the media, although a lack of a specific injury designation might just mean a day of rest for the veteran. Dwelley is expected to compete with Reed for time in two tight-end sets alongside George Kittle.

Njoku is not practicing Saturday for an undisclosed reason, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

It is unclear if Njoku is dealing with some type of issue or if he is just getting a routine day off. His absence at practice should free up some snaps for Harrison Bryant, Pharaoh Brown and Stephen Carlson behind top tight end Austin Hooper. Njoku's status will have to be monitored until the Browns provide some more clarity on the situation.

Hurst will be an "every-down tight end" for the Falcons this year, Kelsey Conway of the team's official site reports.

The former Pirates minor leaguer may not have made a dramatic offensive impact during his two-year tenure with the Ravens, but now he is expected to see opportunities abound with Austin Hooper and his 97 targets from last season shipping out to Cleveland. Buried behind Mark Andrews on the depth chart in Baltimore, Hurst only recorded 43 catches across 28 appearances. General manager Thomas Dimitroff did, however, invest a second-round draft choice to acquire Hurst, indicating that the Falcons remain fond of his potential.

The Colts activated Alie-Cox (undisclosed) from the active/PUP list Friday.

It's still unclear what Alie-Cox was dealing with, but the 26-year-old tight end will rejoin the team and start preparing for the 2020 season. The Colts let Eric Ebron walk in free agency but brought in Trey Burton, so Alie-Cox is slated to be the No. 3 tight end again this year.

Goedert reportedly has a hairline fracture in one of his thumbs, Daniel Gallen of The Harrisburg Patriot-News reports.

The good news is that the tight end may be able return to practice next week, possibly sporting a splint on his injured thumb at that time. Fellow tight end Zach Ertz (upper body) is day-to-day himself, leaving extra practice reps for Josh Perkins, Noah Togiai and Caleb Wilson.

Ertz is day to day with an upper-body injury, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Eagles are either experiencing terrible injury luck or taking a conservative approach with any players experiencing soreness. They've had a slew of players miss practice time this week, including fellow tight end Dallas Goedert (upper body) and running backs Miles Sanders (lower body) and Boston Scott (lower body). There hasn't been any indication Ertz's injury is serious.