NFL Player News

Vannett (illness) was a full participant in practice Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.

Vannett missed just one practice with the ailment and should be good to go Sunday. He played a season-low 16 snaps in Week 11 but still managed to catch his only target for seven yards.

Kittle (knee/ankle) took part in drills during Thursday's practice while donning a blue no-contact jersey, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

The 49ers won't reveal until after the session concludes whether Kittle's activity was enough to constitute a "limited" listing on the injury report, but the fact that the tight end wasn't relegated to a side field for rehab work indicates he's taken a step forward in his recovery from the left leg injury. Ideally, Kittle would take some form of contact in Friday's session to ease some of the concerns about his health, but his chances of suiting up Sunday against the Packers have seemingly improved nonetheless. In the event the 49ers ultimately decide to withhold Kittle from a third straight game, Ross Dwelley would handle the majority of the snaps at tight end.

Hooper (knee) wasn't seen at the part of Thursday's practice open to the media, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.

On Monday, coach Dan Quinn said Hooper wouldn't practice Wednesday, which came to pass, but there was a chance the tight end would take the field Thursday and/or Friday. The Falcons have yet to reveal if Hooper indeed logged another DNP, but it wouldn't surprise as he tends to a sprained MCL for a second consecutive week. The team will reveal his activity level when Thursday's practice report is posted.

The Browns aren't expected to reinstate Njoku (wrist) from injured reserve ahead of Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Though Njoku was cleared for full contact Wednesday in his first practice with the team since Week 2, the Browns reportedly intend to bring him along slowly as he returns from a broken wrist. Unless Njoku shows less rust than anticipated in his practice sessions Thursday and Friday, he'll remain on IR for another week before potentially rejoining the 53-man roster ahead of the Week 13 matchup with Pittsburgh. Expect Cleveland to continue with a four-man committee at tight end versus the Dolphins after all of Demetrius Harris, Ricky Seals-Jones, Pharaoh Brown and Stephen Carlson played double-digit snaps on offense in the Week 11 win over the Steelers.

Engram (foot) won't participate in Thursday's practice, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

The Giants haven't officially commented on Engram's status for Sunday's game against the Bears, but the tight end's back-to-back absences from practices coming off a Week 11 bye make it highly unlikely he'll be ready to play in Chicago, according to Dan Duggan of The Athletic. Meanwhile, coach Pat Shurmur said that Rhett Ellison (concussion) is also unlikely to play Week 12, so the Giants will likely be forced to get by without both of their top two tight ends. Kaden Smith and Scott Simonson are the lone healthy options on the team's depth chart.

Tonyan (hip) was a full participant at Wednesday's practice.

Tonyan missed the Packers' last five games due to the hip injury, but he appears ready to go coming out of a Week 11 bye. The 25-year-old will likely step in as the Packers' No. 3 tight end in Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Vannett (illness) didn't practice Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

It's still early in the week, so Vannett has two more practices to get onto the field and extinguish any worries about his status for Sunday's game against the Bengals. Over six games since being traded to the Steelers, the 2016 third-round pick has caught six passes for 63 scoreless yards. If he can't shake the sickness in time, Zach Gentry will serve as the No. 2 tight end behind Vance McDonald.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said Kittle (knee/ankle) won't take part in practice Wednesday, Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Speaking to the media Monday, Shanahan expressed hope that Kittle will end a two-game absence and suit up this weekend versus the Packers, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. While his inability to practice Wednesday isn't a great sign for his recovery efforts, Kittle still has two more chances to take the field and put to rest any questions about his availability. In the end, though, Friday's injury report may have the final word on his potential to suit up.

Alie-Cox (thumb) was a full participant in Wednesday's practice but is considered questionable for Thursday's game against the Texans.

Considering he wasn't limited in practice, Alie-Cox has a good shot to suit up for the divisional clash. The 26-year-old could have a heightened role in the offensive if Eric Ebron (ankle) is unable to play, but he'd still be behind Jack Doyle in the pecking order.

Rader was released by the Steelers on Wednesday.

The decision to release Rader was made in order to make room for J.C. Hassenauer. Rader will now hope to find a home elsewhere, but he may have to wait until next season to do so. The 24-year-old tight end has not appeared in a game in 2019.