NFL Player News

Kittle (Achilles) was limited in practice Wednesday, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

Kittle operated with a cap on his practice reps last week before returning to action just nine months removed from tearing his right Achilles in a wild-card win at Philadelphia. In the 49ers' Week 1 victory against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, he started, played 30 of 65 offensive snaps and gathered in two of five targets for 12 yards. San Francisco may continue to take it easy on Kittle in the early going with the long term in mind, but his status for game days doesn't appear to be in any question.

Muse was signed to the active roster by Atlanta on Wednesday, William McFadden of the Falcons' official site reports.

Muse was recently elevated from the practice squad ahead of Sunday's 20-13 loss to Pittsburgh. After reverting to the practice squad Monday, the 27-year-old is now back on the 53-man roster. However, with Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner and Austin Hooper healthy, Muse will presumably continue to spend most of his time on special teams.

Tonges (knee) requires surgery for an MCL tear and is done for the season, Cam Inman reports.

The team placed Tonges on injured reserve earlier Wednesday, and now it's official that he will miss the rest of the season. Tonges suffered an MCL tear in the season opener against the Rams. Jack Stoll was signed to the practice squad to add depth, and Luke Farrell now projects to be the second tight end behind George Kittle.

Tonges (knee) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.

Coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters after the opening week win that Tonges' injury "[did] not look good," and the 49ers' placement of the tight end on IR affirms that. The team did not give a timeline for Tonges' return, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network notes that this is an MCL injury. The 49ers signed tight end Jack Stoll to the practice squad in a corresponding move.

Head coach Klint Kubiak said that Bowers (knee) won't practice Wednesday but hopes the tight end will be able to Thursday and/or Friday, Sam Warren of The Athletic reports.

Bowers is a little more than a week removed from undergoing a meniscus trim on his left knee, for which he sat out the Raiders' Week 1 win against the Dolphins this past Sunday. His next practice reps would mark his first since the surgery, so getting back on the field in some capacity this week would give him a chance to return to action Sunday at the Chargers. Another absence from Bowers, though, would allow Michael Mayer exclusive access to TE reps in the Raiders offense.

Okonkwo (hamstring) won't participate in practice Wednesday, Tashan Reed of The Washington Post reports.

Okonkwo exited late in this past Sunday's loss at Philadelphia due to a hamstring injury, which now will keep him out of drills to begin Week 2 prep. He'll have two more opportunities to practice this week before the Commanders potentially make a ruling on his status for Sunday's game in Dallas. John Bates and Ben Sinnott are the next players up at tight end for Washington.

The knee injury Bowers is recovering from "is not overly serious," and it's "possible" he will return in Week 2, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.

Head coach Klint Kubiak said Monday that Bowers is considered day-to-day, and the latest report reaffirms an earlier one that indicated Bowers could miss only "a game or two." A better estimate of Bowers' availability for Week 2 will likely be able to be made after the Raiders release their first injury report of the week Wednesday.

Gray finished Monday's 31-10 victory versus Denver with one catch on his only target for five yards.

Gray's NFL career to this point has been spent in the shadow of Travis Kelce, and that was the case again in KC's season opener as Kelce led the team with 71 receiving yards while drawing five targets. Gray did log 38 of 69 offensive snaps and contributed 15 special-teams snaps as well, so he has an important role for Kansas City. However, he doesn't figure to put up consistent offensive numbers as long as Kelce is healthy.

Briningstool caught his only target for nine yards and made two tackles in Monday night's 31-10 win over the Broncos.

Briningstool played 13 of 69 offensive snaps primarily as a blocker for Kenneth Walker. The tight end's bigger role came on special teams, where he played 20 snaps and made a tackle in kick coverage and punt coverage. Briningstool's success comes after No. 4 tight end Jared Wiley was inactive as a healthy scratch, further showing Briningstool's place on the tight end totem pole.

Engram caught four passes on five targets for 43 yards and a touchdown during the Broncos' 31-10 loss to the Chiefs on Monday.

It was a miserable performance by the Broncos' offense in Monday's regular-season opener, though Engram helped Denver tie things up at 7-7 late in the first quarter after hauling in a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bo Nix. Engram led the Broncos in receiving yards and finished second in targets behind Pat Bryant (six). Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton were both held in check by the Chiefs' defense, and while Engram isn't considered a centerpiece to the Broncos' offense, the veteran tight end could thrive in games against teams that opt to hone in on Denver's top wideouts. Up next is a Week 2 tilt against the Jaguars, whose defense limited second-year tight end Harold Fannin to a 2-21-0 receiving line on only two targets.