NFL Player News

The 49ers elevated Willis from the practice squad to the active roster ahead of Sunday's game against the Bears.

Willis has played in five games for the 49ers this season, totalling 12 offensive snaps and 74 special-teams snaps in the contests. The tight end was on the active roster for three of those games and was elevated for the remaining two, making the Week 17 elevation his third and final of the 2025 season. If the team would like to use Willis for Week 18 or in the playoffs, it will have to sign him to the active roster.

The Packers elevated Dabney from the practice squad to their active roster Saturday.

The 23-year-old joined the Packers' practice squad in early November and is now in line to make his NFL debut during Saturday's matchup against the Ravens. Across his five-year collegiate career, Dabney caught 84 passes for 1,066 yards and eight touchdowns. He's expected to operate as Green Bay's No. 3 tight end in the Week 17 contest.

The Bills signed Latu off their practice squad Saturday.

The Washington product joining the Bills' active roster likely suggests one or both of Dalton Kincaid (knee, questionable) and Dawson Knox (knee, questionable) will be sidelined for Sunday's matchup against the Eagles. Latu has appeared in three games this season, catching his only target for four yards. He's expected to play a depth role in Buffalo's tight end corps in the Week 17 contest.

Welch was elevated from the Saints' practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports.

Welch has been elevated to New Orleans' active roster for the second time this season ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Titans. In the Week 3 loss to the Seahawks, the Wyoming product failed to record an offensive statistic while playing 12 total snaps (eight on special teams, four on offense). Now back with the active roster, Welch is expected to play a depth role in the Saints' tight end corps while also contributing on special teams in Week 17.

Pitts (knee) does not carry an injury designation for Monday's game against Los Angeles.

Pitts was limited in practice both Friday and Saturday, but he'll continue playing through the knee injury that also bothered him during Atlanta's previous two practice weeks. The starting tight end will look to stay hot despite a difficult matchup against the Rams' stingy defense. Through five appearances since Kirk Cousins took over as Atlanta's starting quarterback, Pitts has racked up an outstanding 33-420-4 receiving line on 44 targets.

Johnson (illness) won't travel with the Giants for Sunday's game against the Raiders, Dan Salomone of the team's official site reports.

With Johnson having been downgraded to out for the contest, Daniel Bellinger and Chris Manhertz are slated to lead the Giants' Week 17 tight end corps. Johnson's next chance to see game action will arrive in Week 18, when New York faces Dallas at home.

The Browns have elevated Cannella from the practice squad Saturday in advance of Sunday's game against the Steelers.

Cannella is being elevated as a depth option at tight end due to top playmaker Harold Fannin (groin) being listed as questionable and David Njoku (groin) ruled out. The expectation is that Fannin will be good to go versus Pittsburgh, but Cannella will get a chance to handle third-string duties if the rookie starter ends up inactive.

The Colts placed Ogletree (neck) on injured reserve Saturday.

Ogletree will miss at least Indianapolis' next four games due to a neck injury suffered during the team's Week 16 loss to San Francisco. If the Colts manage to somehow get into the playoffs and make a deep playoff run, the depth tight end could be a candidate to retake the field late January, though the Colts' chances of making the postseason are quite slim.

Trautman caught both of his targets for 24 yards in Thursday's 20-13 win over the Chiefs.

Trautman played 52 of the Broncos' 72 offensive snaps Thursday, once again playing the most snaps at tight end. Teammates Evan Engram and Marcedes Lewis played 22 and 15 snaps, respectively. Engram paced the position group in targets (4) as Denver's preferred pass-catching tight end. Meanwhile the 28-year-old Trautman continued to operate as a blocking specialist. The veteran's limited opportunities keep him far off the fantasy radar each week. Next up for the Broncos is a Week 18 matchup against the Chargers.

Engram caught all four of his targets for 21 yards in Thursday's 20-13 win over the Chiefs.

Engram continued his role as the Broncos' No. 1 pass-catching tight end, but he was unable to get much going against the Chiefs. The 31-year-old played 22 of Denver's 72 offensive snaps, behind blocking specialist Adam Trautman (52). Engram's limited playing time and inefficient production make him difficult to trust for fantasy purposes. The veteran will look to bounce back with a strong performance Week 18 when the Broncos host the Chargers in the regular season finale.