NFL Player News

The Dolphins placed Waller (groin) on injured reserve Friday.

Waller could not get on the practice field in any capacity throughout Week 18 prep, and he'll now move to IR in advance of Sunday's season finale against the Patriots. The veteran tight end thus wraps his comeback campaign, having come out of retirement to play for the Dolphins in 2025, with 24 catches for 283 yards and six touchdowns (on 34 targets) across nine regular-season appearances. While Waller's overall production doesn't jump off the page, when healthy he showcased playmaking ability and a capacity to thrive in the red zone that should appeal to multiple offenses across the league. That said, Waller played out 2025 on a one-year, $2 million deal with Miami and now is set to hit free agency, and it remains to be seen whether the 33-year-old tight end will even decide to return for another NFL season. Greg Dulcich will operate as the top pass-catching tight end for rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers in Week 18 with Waller unavailable.

Coach Sean McDermott said Friday that Kincaid (knee) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's regular-season finale against the Jets, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Per Glab, Kincaid, who was inactive Week 17, will log his third straight limited practice Friday. With that in mind, the tight end is no lock to be active for Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET contest. Even if Kincaid is in uniform versus the Jets, the Bills could elect to limit his snaps with an eye toward keeping him healthy/available for the team's postseason run.

Coach Aaron Glenn said Friday that Taylor (neck) won't play in the Jets' season finale against the Bills.

The same applies to Jelani Woods (hamstring), which leaves Jeremy Ruckert and Stone Smartt as the 3-13 Jets' top available tight ends this weekend. Taylor, who last played Week 14, thus finishes his rookie campaign with 44 catches for 369 yards and a TD (on 65 targets) in 13 regular-season contests. Looking ahead, the 2025 second-rounder should maintain his key role in New York's offense next season, but look for plenty of personnel changes this offseason in terms of the team's skill positions.

Pitts (knee) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

This marks Pitts' fourth week in a row being listed on Atlanta injury reports with a knee issue, but he's been able to suit up for each of the last three games, compiling a 20-239-4 line on 24 targets during that stretch. Friday's practice report will reveal whether or not Pitts enters the weekend with a designation for Sunday's contest against the Saints.

Higbee (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

The Rams opened Higbee's 21-day practice window Wednesday, perhaps getting him ready for the playoffs rather than Week 18 against the Cardinals. Los Angeles has four tight ends that it uses regularly, including Higbee, Colby Parkinson, Terrance Ferguson and Davis Allen.

Adkins (knee) was a full participant at practice Thursday, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official website reports.

Adkins was able to log a full practice after opening the week as a limited participant Wednesday, moving past the knee injury that forced him to miss the team's Week 17 win over the Chiefs. The tight end will likely operate in his traditional depth role behind Evan Engram and Adam Trautman in Sunday's matchup with the Chargers.

Kittle (ankle) is listed as questionable for Saturday's game versus the Seahawks, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle has been tending to a mid-to-low ankle sprain that sidelined him Week 17 against the Bears, but after logging back-to-back limited sessions to kick off Week 18 prep and then telling Vic Tafur of The Athletic on Wednesday that he "absolutely" expects to play this weekend, he appears to be trending in the right direction to suit up. Ultimately, Kittle's status will be confirmed about 90 minutes before an 8:00 p.m. ET kickoff.

The Packers placed Castles on the practice squad/injured list Thursday.

Castles' spot on the practice squad has been filled by safety Mark Perry. A depth tight end, Castles initially joined Green Bay's practice squad in November, but he didn't suit up for a single regular-season game with the team.

Ferguson (calf) was a limited participant at Thursday's practice, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

After spending Wednesday's session on the side working with trainers, Ferguson showed some progress with the calf injury that knocked him out for the second half of last Thursday's win at Washington. It's unclear yet if he's in danger of missing Sunday's game at the Giants, but he's put together a modest 25-211-2 line on 34 targets in seven contests since the Cowboys' Week 10 bye.

Goedert (knee) didn't practice Thursday.

Goedert has yet to practice this week due to a knee injury, so the possibility exists that the Eagles keep him on the sideline Week 18 against the Commanders with a home game guaranteed for the first round of the playoffs. Grant Calcaterra, Kylen Granson and Cameron Latu would be the TEs available for more snaps this weekend if Goedert ends up in street clothes.