NFL Player News

Hurst (foot) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Pittsburgh.

Hurst is nearing the end of his recovery from Aug. 24 surgery on a stress fracture in his foot, as intimated by comments made during the week. "I think I'm good to go. It's up to the trainers and what they think is right for me," Hurst told Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site Thursday. Furthermore, Hurst practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday through Friday. If he's given the all-clear this weekend, he'll be a part of a crowded tight end corps that includes Mark Andrews, Nick Boyle and Maxx Williams.

Derby (foot) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Patriots, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald reports.

Derby continues to nurse a foot injury suffered during Sunday's win over the Raiders. The veteran's lack of availability is no surprise, considering that he was unable to participate in practice all week. Rookie Mike Gesicki is expected to handle the majority of tight end snaps as long as Derby remains sidelined.

Graham (knee) has been removed from the injury report for Sunday's game against the Bills, Michael Cohen of The Athletic reports.

Graham was held out of practice Wednesday and restricted to limited participation Thursday and Friday. He often followed a similar routine during his time in Seattle to keep his body fresh for Sundays. With Randall Cobb (hamstring) shaping up as truly questionable, the Packers may need a bit more from Graham than his current average of 6.3 targets per game.

Everett played 23 of 55 offensive snaps and caught his only target for 13 yards during Thursday's 38-31 win over Minnesota.

While this was Everett's highest offensive snap count of the season, fellow tight end Tyler Higbee sustained a knee injury during the game and wasn't available for a stretch. With Todd Gurley and the Los Angeles wide receiver trio (Brandin Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp) locked into huge target shares, there are only scraps left for Everett and Higbee. It's currently not a promising fantasy setup for either tight end.

Higbee (knee) returned to Thursday's game against the Vikings, Myles Simmons of the Rams' official site reports.

Higbee left the game in the first quarter, but the injury must have not been too serious as he returned before halftime. With Higbee back in, he and Gerald Everett figure to head up the Rams tight end corps going forward.

Higbee is questionable to return to Thursday's game against the Rams with a knee injury.

Higbee exited the game during the first quarter. As long as he is out, the Rams will find themselves thin at the tight end position, with Gerald Everett and Johnny Mundt the only other ones remaining on the team's active roster.

Hurst (foot) is hoping to play Sunday against the Steelers, Ryan Mink of the team's official website reports. "I think I'm good to go. It's up to the trainers and what they think is right for me," Hurst said Thursday.

The rookie got back on the practice field this week for the first time since suffering a stress fracture in August. He's still limited in practice, but there is a chance Hurst makes his debut in Week 4 against the Steelers. If Hurst is able to play, he'll join an already crowded position group that has accounted for 23 percent of all of Baltimore's targets. Given Hurst's lengthy absence and Baltimore's tight end depth, it would be unlikely for Hurst to see heavy playing time right away if he does debut in Week 4.

Hurst (foot) said he considers himself day-to-day in advance of the Ravens' Week 4 game against the Steelers, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports. "It's a little sore," Hurst said Thursday of his surgically repaired foot. "But four weeks removed from surgery, I'm excited about my progress."

After undergoing the foot procedure in late August, Hurst has yet to make his NFL regular-season debut, but he seems to be trending in the right direction after putting in a limited practice Wednesday. Per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, Hurst said he thinks he'll be ready to go for Sunday's game, but a decision on that front will ultimately fall to the Ravens' training and coaching staffs. If active in Week 4, Hurst likely wouldn't see much work among a crowded tight-end group that also includes Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams and Mark Andrews. All three of those players have handled 20-plus snaps in each of the Ravens' three games thus far.

Derby (foot) wasn't on the field for the start of Thursday's practice, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reports.

For the second straight day, it looks like Derby will go down as a non-participant in practice, which seemingly puts his status in jeopardy for Sunday's game against the Patriots. If Derby can't go in Week 4, rookie Mike Gesicki would likely draw the start at tight end and handle the majority of the snaps at the position.

Coach Mike McCarthy said that Graham (knee) would be a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

It's a good sign for Graham after the knee injury prevented him from practicing Wednesday, though the Packers never seemed especially concerned about the tight end's availability for the Week 4 matchup with the Bills. Per Owczarski, McCarthy labeled Graham's absence as "maintenance," suggesting that the 31-year-old has probably just been managing some minor soreness coming out of Sunday's loss to the Redskins.