NFL Player News

Kroft will start in place of regular No. 1 tight end Tyler Eifert (knee/back) on Sunday at Green Bay, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Expect Kroft to hold down the fort during Eifert's absence, which could be a precautionary measure. If Eifert begins to string together DNPs, though, Kroft would be in line for some utility in the tight end ranks. In 32 career games, Kroft has recorded 22 catches (on 28 targets) for 226 yards and one touchdown.

James (shoulder) returned to Sunday's game against the Bears, Missi Matthews of Steelers.com reports.

James was able to return after missing a portion of Sunday's tilt due to a shoulder injury, which he sustained during the first half. The issue appears to have been minor and he'll continue to serve as the Steelers' No. 1 tight end with Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble providing depth.

Graham (ankle) is active for Sunday's game at Tennessee.

Graham didn't inspire confidence in his ability to play with back-to-back absences Wednesday and Thursday. That said, he turned in a full practice Friday, which was followed by a vote of confidence from head coach Pete Carroll. Per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Graham was seen running during a pregame workout and will now look to produce against the Titans' 20th-ranked pass defense (230.5 yards per game).

James is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Bears after suffering a left shoulder injury during the first half, Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter reports.

James' status for the remainder of Sunday's tilt is up in the air at this point, while Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble now have an opportunity to see additional snaps. Another update regarding James' outlook should become available upon the release of additional information.

Lewis caught four of five targets for 62 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's 44-7 win over the Ravens in London.

Held without a catch on four targets over the first two weeks, Lewis shockingly caught three touchdown passes in Week 3. His massive 6-foot-6 frame came in quite useful on scoring passes from 17, 30 and four yards out. Lewis plays the vast majority of offensive snaps and figures to remain a threat in the red zone, but Sunday's outing is still best viewed as an extreme outlier. He only has 31 touchdowns in 157 regular-season games, despite serving as a starter for most of his career. Lewis does draw a favorable Week 4 matchup, heading to New York to face the Jets.

Kroft is slated for more snaps Sunday at Green Bay with Tyler Eifert (knee/back) out of the lineup, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Eifert's health concerns appear to stem from side effects of last December's back surgery and knee tendinitis from the preseason, signaling a multi-game absence is possible. After handling 84 and then 78 percent of the offensive snaps in the first two weeks of the season, Eifert leaves a large void to be filled by Kroft and, to a lesser extent, Ryan Hewitt. Whether the workload results in marks in the box score remains to be seen, but Kroft has hauled in 22 of 28 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown in 32 career contests.

After practicing fully Friday, James (ankle) no longer appears on the Steelers' Week 3 injury report.

Through two games, James has logged 10 catches (on 13 targets) for 68 yards, to go along with two Week 1 touchdowns. It remains to be seen if James starts losing looks to fellow TE Vance McDonald, but in Week 2, James was on the field for 96 percent of the Steelers' snaps on offense.

Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said Graham (ankle) didn't have any limitations at Friday's practice and should be ready to play in Sunday's game against Tennessee, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Given the Seahawks' history when it comes to injury information, this is still a situation that bears close watching in the lead up to Sunday's 4:05 p.m. ET kickoff. Graham was held out of practice Wednesday and Thursday after managing just one catch for one yard on two targets in Sunday's 12-9 win over the 49ers. Given how poorly he was playing prior to the injury, it's fair to question whether Graham will be at all effective if he ends up facing the Titans. Luke Willson and Nick Vannett will both take on extra snaps if Graham doesn't play.

Graham (ankle) is expected to return to practice Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tennessee, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Held out of practice the previous two days, Graham is apparently primed to return in some capacity. Another update will be available when the Seahawks reveal the extent of his participation, though he's seemingly headed for a game-time decision either way. Luke Willson and Nick Vannett will fill in at tight end if Graham is absent, with the Seattle wide receivers and running backs potentially taking on larger burdens as well. Graham looked totally out of sync even before he hurt his ankle in Week 2 against the 49ers.

Engram cleared the concussion protocol and is no longer listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Engram was placed in the concussion protocol Wednesday, two days after after catching four of seven targets for 49 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 24-10 loss to the Lions. His quick progression suggests he didn't necessarily suffer a concussion, as players almost always require more than two days to clear the league's protocol. Engram has been surprisingly busy for a rookie tight end, drawing 12 targets while logging 81 percent of the offensive snaps through two games. The Eagles shut down opposing tight ends last season, but their current injury woes at safety leave Engram with a decent matchup. Travis Kelce took advantage last week with an 8-103-1 receiving line on 10 targets.