NFL Player News

Njoku (ankle) returned to practice Thursday as a limited participant, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Per Cabot, Njoku was spotted in full uniform in the media-access portion of Thursday's practice and was taking part in individual work, but the Browns seemingly held the tight end out of drills. In any case, Njoku's return to the field in any fashion is a welcome sight after he hadn't practiced since Sept. 6 and missed the last two games due to a high-ankle sprain. A determination on Njoku's status for this Sunday's game in Las Vegas has yet to be made, but he'll likely need to put in a full practice Friday to at the very least avoid taking a designation into the contest.

McBride (concussion) wasn't spotted during the part of Thursday's practice open to the media, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

If McBride indeed goes down as a non-participant for a second day in a row, he'll have just one more chance for on-field reps during Week 4 prep. On top of that, he'll have significantly reduced odds to make his way through the protocol for head injuries ahead of Sunday's contest against the Commanders. Elijah Higgins and Tip Reiman are on hand to handle TE reps for the Cardinals if McBride misses any game action.

Kansas City signed Fortson to the practice squad Thursday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Fortson, who spent the offseason with the Dolphins, now gets a chance to reunite with the Chiefs as a member of the practice squad. The fifth-year tight end spent time developing with Kansas City from 2019-23.

Swinson signed with the Packers' practice squad Thursday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Swinson spent training camp with Green Bay and was on the Packers' practice squad before being signed away to the Panthers' active roster ahead of Week 1. However, the Arizona State product never suited up for Carolina and was waived by the team Tuesday. He'll now get another chance with the Packers.

Allen (back) was a limited participant at the Rams' practice Wednesday, Adam Grosbard of The Orange County Register reports.

Allen was forced to miss the team's 27-24 win over the 49ers in Week 3 due to a back injury, but his ability to practice in any capacity Wednesday is a step in the right direction. The tight end will look to increase his workload at one of the team's two remaining practices this week prior to Sunday's matchup with the Bears.

Henry was a limited practice participant Wednesday due to an ankle injury, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

After a big game in Week 2 (eight catches for 109 yards on 12 targets), Henry caught two of his three targets for nine yards in this past Thursday's loss to the Jets, while recording a 63 percent snap share in the contest. Now managing an ankle issue as the Patriots begin Week 4 prep, the tight end will need to practice fully by Friday in order to avoid an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the 49ers.

Schultz (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.

Schultz continues to manage an ankle issue, but the injury didn't stop him from logging a 96 percent snap share in the Texans' Week 3 loss to the Vikings. Given that the Texans haven't indicated that Schultz suffered a setback coming out of Sunday's contest, chances are that his listed limitations Wednesday were simply a matter of rep management.

Engram (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson acknowledged Tuesday that it'll be a close call on whether Engram will be able to play Sunday against the Texans, after the tight end missed both of the team's previous two contests, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. If Engram is sidelined for a third straight game this weekend, Brenton Strange would be in line to continue to see added opportunities in Jacksonville's offense.

Hurst was a limited participant at practice Wednesday due to an Achilles injury.

Hurst managed an ankle injury ahead of this past Sunday's 20-10 loss to the Steelers, but he suited up and reeled in two targets for 15 yards. Now that the tight end is dealing with a different injury in Week 4, his status will need to be tracked as Sunday's game against the Chiefs approaches.

Oliver (wrist) was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday's walkthrough.

Oliver played 37 snaps (30 on offense, seven on special teams) in the Vikings' Week 3 win over the Texans, though it appears the 2019 third-round pick may have sustained a wrist injury during the game. Wednesday's injury report was just an estimation, and Oliver will have two more practices to increase his participation ahead of Week 4 against the Packers.